Actions and Consequences
by Moosical
Summary: Edward flees after the party in New Moon.  His family stay. Returning 2 years later, he finds Bella is a vampire and his family are still in Forks.  Edward's flushed skin and Green eyes suggest he has made changes of his own, but is all as it seems?
1. Prologue

_I wrote this story as part of a big bang challenge over on livejournal (twilightbigbang(dot)livejournal(dot)com) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd appreciate feedback. _

_If anyone would like to hear the soundtrack I made to go with the story, you can find it at _

_(moosical-fic(dot)livejournal(dot)com/8607(dot)html)_

**Edward P.O.V**

**Prologue**

**13th September 2007**

Descending the stairs into the living room, I had to admit even I am impressed by the effort that Alice has gone to, but I had to reign in my enthusiasm as I felt Bella tense by my side. I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze and gently kiss the top of her head.

"You okay?" I murmur, knowing all too well that she's not. Even with her mind being closed to me, I can read her so well at times.

Bella nods and assures me that she is fine, but she's such a bad liar. I let it slide though not wanting to push her any further.

"You'll enjoy yourself" I sooth.

As we reach the bottom of the stairs and join the family her body isn't quite so tense, but her heart is still hammering in her chest, the sound of her heartbeat is the most significant sound in my world. I swear I could pick it out from miles away.

Alice had decorated the room beautifully, using various shades of Bella's favourite colour, purple. Alice has been meticulous and every last detail has been considered. My family are all wearing outfits that complement each other and as I look over to my sister she grins at me, she is very pleased with herself. I notice that everyone is stood at their designated spots, which Alice had us rehearse several times. I had to stifle a laugh when Bella reacted to the size of the cake. I did try to warn Alice that it was a little extravagant, seeing as only Bella could eat it, but she had insisted that it was part of the whole experience.

The cake would look more at home at a wedding. It had four tiers, each beautifully decorated with white icing and various purple shades of decorations and it was surrounded by exquisite cupcakes and fancy edible flower decorations.

"Alice, that cake is far too much," Bella chastises.

Alice just shakes her head and sticks out her tongue like a petulant child, but follows it up with a brimming smile, showing that she hadn't taken offence to Bella's chastisement.

"It's not too bad. I'm sure Charlie would enjoy some and we can take the leftovers to school," I assure Bella.

I feel Bella's body sink into me and she nods her head.

Everything runs smoothly, Bella thanks the family for the party. I have to admit that I am even impressed by Rosalie, despite her reservations about my relationship with Bella, she's remained civil when speaking and even her mind has been relatively neutral and calm.

Rosalie even managed to smile at Bella as she passed her the present that Alice helped her to pick; a beautiful, yet understated necklace. It may look very simple and elegant, but I know all too well how much it cost. It was my idea to have it taken out of the Cartier box and put into simple, plain box. I was sure that Bella would have struggled to accept it if she knew the true cost.

Emmett can't help his enthusiasm as he moves in for a hug, he picks up Bella easily and swings her around like a doll, she giggles and asks him to put her down. He dutifully obliges and passes her his gift. As bella shakes it, she is confused at how light it is. Emmett barely misses a beat as he tells her that her gift has already been installed in her truck.

"A new stereo system" he beams. Emmett had only driven her truck a couple of times, but he found it an uncomfortable experience. I have had to endure him telling me that the truck was sorely missing a decent sound system for months.

Bella seems quite pleased with the gift.

"I hope you were gentle with my truck"

"Sure I was, but what's another scratch here and there with that hunk of junk" Emmett mocked.

"Hey! You be respectful to my truck, its old enough to be your grandfather" she joked back."Seriously though, Thanks Em." Bella beams.

Emmett ruffles Bella's hair and goes over to join Rosalie, the smile on his face is genuine. I find Emmett's thoughts refreshing. They are vastly different to Rosalie's; he genuinely enjoys Bella's company and sees her introduction to our family as a blessing rather than a curse. I just wish he could convince Rosalie of the same.

Looking around at my family as they surround Bella, I feel content. I love that we could all be together like this. Everything is perfect, even Bella seems to have fully relaxed now, her posture is relaxed and her heart has calmed down. She seems to be genuinely enjoying herself, having gotten over the hang-ups she had when we first arrived.

Everything continued to be perfect until Bella was passed Carlisle and Esme's gift. I knew what was inside the envelope; plane tickets for both of us to go see her mom in Florida. It was partly my idea as she had been worrying about her mom quite a lot in her dreams lately.

As Bella tries to open the envelope, three things happen simultaneously.

She cuts her finger and two drops of blood hit the carpet. The scent hits me hard and I tense as I feel the reaction of my family at the same time.

Alice gasps, foreseeing what is about to happen; the scene playing through my head is horrifying. It's playing in my mind in slow motion, but in truth it passes so quickly.

Jasper starts to growl, driven wild by the scent and the hunger and advances towards Bella.

Acting quickly and without hesitation, I push Bella out of harm's way and I cringe as I hear her body collide with a nearby table. I spin around in time to block Jasper and I send him flying to the other side of the room. His body collides with the piano, which collapses beneath him. Turning back to Bella I am horrified by the blood dripping down her arm. In my rush to get her out of Jaspers way I had sent her crashing into a glass vase and she now, rather than the small paper cut, has a large deep gash on her upper arm. Her blood is flowing freely and dripping down her arm. It is now clear why Jasper is still so intent on getting to her. I stare at her lamely as the rest of the family move in quickly to get Jasper under control.

My only thought is _What__have__I__done?__I__cannot__shake__the__images__in__my__head__from__Alice__'__s__vision...__Images__of__my__own__brother__feasting__on__Bella,__right__before__my__very__eyes._I shake my head to clear the vision and try to get a hold of myself.

I hear Jasper being dragged out of the back door by Emmett, quickly followed by Rosalie, Esme and Alice. They are keen to get him away from the house to stop him from doing any more harm. At the same time they are all having dark thoughts, the scent of the blood affecting them too.

Carlisle is now tending to Bella, he is trying to stop the blood flow and as he looks at me, I can see his face plastered with remorse and concern. I hover in the background as he stitches her up, partly because I need to know she's okay and partly because I fear that if I join the rest of the family now, I may do something stupid and harm Jasper.

"You don't need to be uncomfortable, Edward." Bella states softly, misreading the cause for my discomfort.

I roll my eyes, my jaw tenses and I fold my arms across my chest, making it clear that I am not going anywhere.

"I'm fine" I assure her, but I am not. The scent of her blood, which assaults my senses and causes the burn in my throat, isn't my main concern right now. I am far too preoccupied with what could have happened.

The silence is interrupted as Alice comes back inside and drifts straight to my side.

"I'm so sorry Edward, I didn't see it..." Alice's voice is full of raw emotion as she speaks.

Her thoughts shout louder though, her thoughts are clear, yet frantic. She didn't foresee this, the paper cut was an accident. She is torn between being here to check on Bella and being with Jasper.

I put my hand up in front of her and she stops speaking and her thoughts pause.

"Alice, go check on Jasper. I'm sure he needs you right now."

She hesitates, clearly torn. I sense that she wanted me to tell her that I am okay, but I just couldn't do it, because I am not. After a last look at Bella and another apology she runs out of the house towards Jasper.

The next hour or so passed in a blur, Carlisle patched Bella up and she seemed remarkably upbeat about almost being attacked. I know that she is trying to calm me down, but it's not working. I feel dreadful; I can't believe I put her in danger like this. What a fool I am. I almost lost her to James, which was bad enough, but he was a nomad, unpredictable and dangerous. This is far worse. I almost lost her to my own family! How could I have been so stupid!

Carlisle and Bella are chatting, he looks up to me and his face is full of concern, he can see how tense I am.

"Please Edward, go check on Jasper and make sure he is okay. I don't think he'll listen to anyone else."

I hesitate, my eyes flicker from Carlisle to Bella.

"Edward, I am fine. Please go check on Jasper. Please tell him that I don't blame him and that I am fine." Bella pleads softly.

I am still torn, but I need a few moments to think and I do feel calm enough to see Jasper now that I know that Bella is fine. I turn to the door and run, I follow the scent of my family and it doesn't take me long to find them. When I do, I seek out Jasper; he's leant against a tree, surrounded by the others. He looks terrible. His head snaps up when he senses my presence and he rushes over to me, stopping just in front of me.

His shoulders sag and his head dips down and his hands are balled into fists, he considers his words carefully, before he speaks.

"I am so sorry Edward, I don't know what happened. I was fine, but as soon as I smelt the blood, I lost it. The hunger took over and... I … I am just glad that the others managed to stop me."

I can't remember a time where I had seen Jasper struggle for his words in this way.

"... If you want to hurt me, do it. I won't stop you. I deserve anything you want to give."

I watch as Jasper put his arms out by his side, he unrolls his fists and he stands their offering me the chance to hurt him. In that moment my resolve falters. On the way I had considered taking my frustrations out on him, but now that he was here, offering himself on a plate I just could not do it.

I took a step towards him and he didn't flinch, I gently pushed his arms down and put my hands on his shoulders, I lean my head towards his and sigh.

"I'm not here for retribution Jasper. This is all my fault not yours. "

Jasper relaxes and pulls back to look at me. He is confused. The words I speak and the emotions I emanate betray each other, but whatever his confusion is he doesn't voice it, but I can tell that he is suspicious of my current state.

"Bella asked me to assure you that she is fine and that she doesn't blame you either."

Jasper bows his head at that.

"She's far too kind, when I think of what I could have done if they hadn't stopped me... I will never forgive myself."

Alice rushes to Jaspers side, she wraps her arms around me and her eyes search my own, I can tell that she is worried. Her mind is playing back a vision, of me away from my family, I just shake my head at her and turn back to the house, keen to get Bella home and away from the danger that I had put her in.

The journey back to her house is awkward, the silence in the truck is tense and I wish I could read her mind to know what she is thinking. As we pull up outside the house, she keeps looking at me. I know she's perceptive and she can sense something is wrong, but I just can't bring myself to tell her what I am thinking.

"Will you be coming back tonight?" she asks, whilst nibbling at her bottom lip.

"I will try, but I do need to make sure that Jasper is okay first." I lie.

Her eyes scrunch up and she studies my face, she's clearly suspicious of my response.

"Edward, please, whatever you're thinking stop it. What happened at the house was an accident, it was nothing."

I shake my head sadly.

"Bella, you got a paper cut. If you were with anyone else, what is the worse that would happen? They may not have a plaster or it may get dirty, but at our house it almost got you killed! So don't you go telling me that it's nothing!"

I can see Bella is taken aback by my tone of voice and my words. She looks angry and I can see that she's trying to find the best way to respond, but she is struggling. She seems to give up trying to find the right words and her face goes from anger to worry.

"Look, let's not dwell on it tonight, please. You need your rest and I need to check on Jasper."

"Okay, but we do need to talk about this again." She responds.

I just smile weakly and she sighs, clearly unhappy with the direction our conversation has taken. She moves towards me and throws her arms around me. My arms betray my thoughts and I react in kind, I can hear her heart hammering against my chest and I mourn the loss of that sound.

"Edward, it's still my birthday, can I have your present now?"

I'm confused, she made me promise not to buy her anything and despite my wishes I listened to her. I falter, but as she pulls back to look at me - and from her sly grin - I can see she has something in mind.

"Can I have my birthday kiss?" she presses.

"Oh!" I respond.

I can't help but smile at her, I should have expected that this is what she wanted. I am eager to oblige and I move in to kiss her. I give more to this kiss than I have ever done. I go beyond the stage where I would normally pull back. I have to fight the burning in my throat as I greedily hold on to her.

I'll miss her lips so much and I selfishly want a way to remember her. I finally stop when I sense Bella's heart struggling, as she forgets to breathe. As I pull back from the kiss, Bella is panting, her fingers trace her lips and her eyes search mine. I see lust clouding her vision, but I can also see the confusion etched across her face. I hold her towards me and kiss the top of her head and I feel her arms hold me tight.

"Charlie is waiting! He's debating whether to come out and interrupt us," I murmur.

Bella sighs and pulls back, I watch as she walks to her door, she turns to me before she goes inside and I flash her a smile. She smiles back, but it doesn't reach her eyes, she's far too perceptive for her own good.

As soon as she disappears inside I jump in my car and start to drive. At first I drive towards home, but the closer I get the slower I go. It is at this point that I realise that I am the only one who can keep Bella out of harm's way. The worst danger didn't come from James, the worst danger was from me.

I put my foot down on the accelerator and head out of town. I've barely made my decision when my phone rings.

"Alice" I murmur.

"Edward…." She begins; her voice soon becomes a blur as she tries to persuade me against my plans. I let her get it all out, but nothing she says will change my mind. I just curse myself for not making the decision sooner. It was unfair to let Bella get so close to me and my family, but she deserves better, she deserved a healthy and happy human life.

"Alice..." I interrupt.

She continues to babble, but eventually stops.

"I need to speak to Carlisle..." Alice begins to babble again, but when I remain silent she stops and agrees to put Carlisle on.

"Edward." he states cautiously.

My resolve falters for a moment when I hear my Fathers voice. I hate to be a disappointment to him and I know that I am about to break Esme's heart, but I have to do this.

"Carlisle, what happened today at the house can't ever happen again..." I begin.

"Edward, it was just an..." he starts to say, but I cut him off.

"No! Please stop! Bella was almost attacked by my own brother and in my rush to stop that I hurt her myself. She got away with a few stitches this time, but she is always going to be in danger. I... We... can't let it happen any longer. We need to leave. We need to put her out of harm's way. Please …. Carlisle, I am begging you. Move somewhere else, let Bella have the chance of a normal human life, it's the only way..." My voice trails off as the words get harder to say.

I listened to the measured pause as Carlisle considers what I am asking.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes" I state clearly.

"Very well. I will make the necessary arrangements, where shall we meet you?"

I flex my jaw as I consider that. I didn't know when I would want to be around anyone else.

"I don't know. Nowhere... I will find you!"

I hung up before Carlisle could respond. The phone starts to ring again, but I ignore it. I ignored the other subsequent calls until I could stand it no more. I picked up the phone and crushed it in my hand, and after rolling down the window I throw the remains out of it.

I had no plans of where to go, I just needed to be alone to wallow in my own self pity and I didn't want to drag my family down with me.


	2. Chapter 1: A Wanderer Returns

**Chapter 1: A Wanderer Returns**

**29****th**** August 2009**

**Two Years Later…**

**Edward P.O.V.**

Driving towards Forks, everything looks familiar. I've never classified anywhere as home, but after finding Bella and feeling a connection, Forks became the closest to being my home than anywhere else. The high trees and thick forests still surround the roads. Memories of how much time I spent in them flash in my mind. As I pass the school, it looks exactly how I remember it. The more I explore the surroundings, the more I think that Forks has been frozen in time. It could have been a day since I was last here rather than two years.

The first thing I did was drive to Bella's house, but to my horror I saw a car that I didn't recognise in the driveway. My first thought was that Bella had found someone else, but I see a woman and child at the window and I don't recognise them, but they look at home. I managed to get a quick look at the mailbox and with a swift look inside at some of the envelopes, it soon becomes clear that this is no longer Charlie and Bella's house.

Driving away I try to think what that could mean. Charlie had always lived at this house and his thoughts always suggested that he was a creature of habit. I park up in the town and get out for some fresh air. I walk aimlessly, paying little attention to my surroundings; just as I pass by the convenience store a familiar voice calls out.

"Cullen?"

Turning around, I groan. I knew exactly who it was. I would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Oh, hello Mike"

I stood rooted to the spot, my arms wrap around me as he approached. This was something which he would have never done when we were at school.

"Man, you look a mess!" He said, with a distinct air of smugness to his voice.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, but I couldn't disagree with him. I just shrug and smile meekly. He walks around me and I cringe as he pats me on the back, I try not to react, but my patience is wearing thin.

"You know, I used to be jealous of you at school... The way Bella and the other girls used to idolise you... I just couldn't understand it, but look how you turned out. The best thing you ever did for Bell was leave."

Mikes words stung, but I refused to rise to the bait. I internally curse my current situation. All of those times I imagined knocking him out cold, but I always held back, I was always restrained and now here I am, with the perfect excuse to act on my desires and I just cannot do it. I just smile at him meekly as I remind myself this isn't why I am here.

"I'm sure your memory is all skewed Mike, I am sure Bella wasn't quite like that with me... Speaking of Bella, how is she?" I ask, keen to learn what I could.

Mikes eyes narrowed, he seems to have taken a disliking to the fact I was asking after her, but after a moment his shoulders sag and he shakes his head.

"When you left she was a mess, she was like a zombie, she walked and talked, but her eyes were empty, it's like she wasn't really there. Then she seemed to pick herself up and got on with things. A couple of months before graduation she disappeared for a couple of weeks, but with all the business with Charlie I can understand that. She got through it thought. She came back, she passed her exams and graduated with the rest of us. She also changed her appearance; she started wearing high heels and short skirts and looked really hot..."

Mike cringed and turned to study my reaction, he obviously didn't need me to tell him he'd gone a little too far. I tried my best to keep my face neutral, but I was aggravated by his comments and more than intrigued by the change in Bella.

"... I mean she looked really good for herself. She seemed to be coping very well, but then she has always had the support from her best friend, at least she never left her."

That hurt. I am still wondering what Mike meant about Charlie and I am keen to know who Bella's best friend was when she needed someone the most. I was about to ask him, but then Jessica Stanley joins us.

"Wow. Hi Edward, what a surprise!" she chimes in her usually sickly sweet voice.

I smiled at her, but inside I was reeling. I finally return to Forks to seek out Bella and my first interaction is with two of the people that I dislike the most. I watch as Jessica laced her hand through Mikes. _Had any couple ever deserved each other so much?_

"This is such a surprise. Did you graduate at your big city school? We all did well. I gave the speech at our graduation, it was great. Mike and I go to College together, but we travel back whenever we can. Are you going to College, what are you studying? Have you been back long? Have you seen anyone else? How are your family? Have you seen Bella yet?" Jessica rattled off her questions at high speed.

I begin to wonder what Bella had told them, was I supposed to have disappeared to go to a bigger and better school. That was more than I deserved. Jessica had asked so much, but my thoughts were all centred on her last question. It gave me hope that Bella was still around.

"I have just arrived. I look forward to seeing everyone, but I would very much like to see Bella. I was just about to ask Mike where I could find her."

I could see Mikes expression turn sour, but Jessica didn't pause long enough to see it, she turned to me smiling brightly.

"She's at her new deli of course. She opened it right after graduation, with the money from Charlie. It's just on the edge of town. I always thought it was an odd location, but she seems to be doing very well, she's always busy and never seems worried about some of the big guys that go in there... I would have thought that she'd have told you all about it, have you not been in touch?"

"... of course we have, but I just can't remember where she said it was" I lied quickly.

"It's just outside of town. Take the main road out towards the edge of town- first left and follow the road out towards the forest. It's on the right hand side- you'll spot it straight away. It looks really good and the sign is pretty prominent."

"Thank you Jessica. I was just in such a rush I forgot to bring quite a lot of things."

I wasn't convinced that she believed me, but Mike was tugging at her to go. I waved them off and as they walked away I could hear them bickering in hushed tones.

"Why did you go and tell him where to find Bella?" Mike snapped.

"Oh come on Mike, quit being so hung up on her! She's never been interested in you. We're together now and besides, it's not as though she'll be interested in him anymore! Look at him, he's looks so rough." Jessica snapped back.

I watched as she tried to tug her hand away, but he pulled it back.

"Sorry babe, I suppose you are right. Maybe it'll be good for her to see him and get full closure, she's been through so much lately, but she's got over it all." Mike agreed sullenly.

Their voices faded as they walked away and my mind began to race.

_What was going on? What happened to Charlie? Why have they moved out of their home? Why has Bella stuck around to run a Deli? Didn't she want to go to College? Does she run it on her own? Does she have anyone else? What had she told people about my leaving? Who was the best friend that stuck by her?_

I tried to wrestle with my thoughts and I just couldn't make sense of them, besides I knew where to find her and I didn't want to waste any more time. Once in the car I followed Jessica's directions.

As I got close, I could see what Jessica had meant. The deli was the only building in the near area. It was a log cabin with beautiful flowers outside. The sign was very ornate and it said 'Bella's Deli'. The windows were decorated with quaint red and white checked curtains. I could see from a distance that it was busy inside.

I parked up nearby, but far enough away so I wouldn't be noticed. I watched and waited patiently. An elderly white haired man left the deli and he walked towards my car. He seemed to be in a very good mood. I rolled down my window and called out to him.

"Excuse me Sir, sorry to bother you. Could you tell me what time the Deli closes?"

The white haired man looked me up and down and I watched as his eyes studied my car. He tipped his head to the side and smiled.

"It closes at 5:30pm young man and I highly recommend it. The food is the best in town. The Coffee is to die for and the lady who runs it is very easy on the eye, very easy indeed."

The man winked and chuckled to himself and I tried my best not to respond to his comments about Bella.

"Thanks Sir, I'll be sure to give it a go."

The man tipped his hat and carried on walking. I took a quick look at my watch and decided to wait till nearer closing time. It was far too busy inside and I would rather see Bella alone.

I spent my time trying to think about what I would say.

_How would I react if she has found someone else? What would I do if she told me to go away and never come back? _

A big part of me felt like starting my car, driving away and fleeing, but I had come all this way and I didn't have much time left. I needed to see her, even if all she does is tell me to go away.

As the sun dipped in the sky, I checked my watch and noted it was 5:20pm. The deli was almost empty now and as the last customer left I walked towards the door. It was well shaded and as I got closer I could see that the tables inside had the same red and white checked covers on them, to match the curtains. It was immaculate inside, and it made me think about Esme and her love of interior design. I sighed as I realised just how much I missed them all. I took an extra look inside to make sure it was empty and stepped inside.-


	3. Chapter 2: We Meet Again

**Chapter 2: We Meet Again**

**29****th**** August 2009**

**Edward P.O.V**

Once inside I took a deep breath to steady my nerves as a bell rang above my head when I closed the door behind me, engaging the lock.

"Just a minute!" Bella called out from the kitchen.

My breath hitched and my throat felt constricted as I heard her voice for the first time in far too long. It sounded so melodic and I had missed hearing it. My conviction waivers as I suddenly fear rejection, my hand starts to move back towards the lock, but I pull back. _I would far rather rejection than nothing at __all_. I decide to stand my ground.

From out of the kitchen she appears and everything else around me disappears, I can focus on nothing else. We stand and stare at each other. She starts to move towards me. As she approaches my eyes dip to the floor and the first thing I notice is that she is wearing high heels and she's walking so gracefully. This is so unlike my Bella. My eyes roam up her legs and I take in their lovely shape. I wasn't accustomed to seeing her legs. The Bella I left used to live in jeans, but here she was, standing in front of me wearing a short fitted skirt and a blue blouse, which I had to admit was my favourite colour on her.

As my eyes roam her arms and then reach her face I cannot fathom her expression because my eyes are focused squarely on her eyes. I stand their lamely as I contemplate what I am seeing. Her skin is so pale, she's developed a grace and her eyes are a golden butterscotch colour. My jaw drops as realisations dawns on me. She's not the human Bella I left, she's a Vampire!

"You've changed!" I accuse.

"Look who's talking!" She retorts.

It takes me a moment to realise what she means, but I was so preoccupied in the change in Bella I forgot about how different I must seem. I watch as her eyes take me in and I can see her eyes roam up and down my arms as she takes in the flush to my skin and then her eyes mirror the path of mine and she stands focussing on my eyes.

Her face is a mixture of emotions and I know all too well what she is focussing on.

She's focussing on the colour of my eyes and that colour is green.

I fidget nervously trying to come to terms with what I am seeing and trying to decide on what I should say when she finally asks. I did not expect this. This is so wrong, I left so she could stay human, but it was all in vain.

The silence is interrupted by Bella's phone ringing.

"... Yes Alice, you were right, he is right here..."

_Alice? But they promised to leave! _

"... Not quite! He's... Different..." Bella's voice fades and I catch her looking at me with a perplexed expression.

"... I don't know, but he's different... oh wait, hang on a minute..."

Bella holds out her phone to me, but I shake my head petulantly. I can't take this all in. My Bella has become a vampire and my family - who had promised to leave - may have had a hand in it. I fold my arms in front of me and tense my jaw; and I see Bella roll her eyes and put the phone back to her ear.

"Whatever else has changed in him, it hasn't affected his stubbornness. He won't speak to you..."

Bella pauses, she studies me closely as Alice speaks and then shakes her head.

"..No!.. You stay put. No. We will be fine, we'll see you later."

As Bella puts her phone away my arms fall back down to my sides and I roll my hands into fists.

"They promised to leave!" I snap.

Bella puts her hands on her hips and sighs.

"Well! You should be glad that they didn't listen to you. After all if they had done what you had asked them to, I would be dead... just like Charlie!"

Bella's words stun me, I feel like she had slapped me across the face. All the effort I was putting in to appear strong, just disappeared. I lose my footing and I stumble. I have to steady myself on a nearby chair and I take a few moments to steady myself before turning back to Bella.

"Charlie's dead? But how? Who? When?… What happened?" I gasp.

Bella looks at me and her expression is full of concern. I realise how feeble I must look but I just don't have the energy to pretend that I am fine anymore. I hadn't expected any of this.

I watch as Bella approaches me slowly. I watch as she puts her hand on mine, I cannot describe the feeling of her skin against mine, I had missed her touch, the coolness of her skin was refreshing and I liked it a lot more than I should.

"Please Edward, let's sit down" she pleads.

I pause and then I agree. I let her help me to a nearby seat. Bella sits opposite me and she studies my face for a moment, before she begins.

"When you left, I was broken. I just couldn't function, then Alice came to see me and explained that the rest of them were going too and it was all too much. I broke down. Alice promised that she would stick around till they had made their arrangements and for a few weeks I was like a zombie, I was in mourning. You had left me and I was dreading the time when Alice told me that the rest were ready to leave too..."

Bella paused to study my face and I put my hand out on the table to reach for hers and to my absolute astonishment she took it without question.

"... Alice and the others did leave. I tried to be brave, but I was a mess. I begged her to keep in touch,= but she said she didn't know whether that was for the best. I was lost. Charlie almost sent me home to my Mom as he didn't know how to handle me but a few days later they came back because Alice had a vision. The red headed mate of James wanted revenge for his death. Her name was Victoria and she was coming after me. It was quite weird, I had just learnt that I was being hunted, but all I could think about was that they were back. They arrived just in time to stop her, but Alice could see that she wouldn't give up easily. Over eighteen months, Victoria made several attempts on my life. She had help from her friend, Laurent. She almost got to me a few times, but your family worked with the wolf pack at La Push. I seemed to bring them all together as my friend Jacob, was one of them. Imagine that, werewolves and vampires working together. It wasn't an easy alliance, but it worked well most of the time."

My mind was reeling, trying to imagine my family and the werewolves, usually sworn enemies working together and a part of me wished that I could have seen that.

"... Victoria got clever though. She somehow worked out Alice's gifts and began to find ways around it. She would either make several different plans to confuse Alice or Laurent and she would both make attempts at the same time. Then through time she learnt not to think about it or decide until the last moment and on one occasion she managed to fool everyone. Laurent made a move, which everyone responded to and she bided her time.

"I was at home with Charlie when she attacked. Charlie tried to protect me but he had no idea what she was and he was no match to her. She killed him stone dead in front of me then moved in to attack me. She decided to make me suffer, drawing out my suffering and by the time that she was stopped by Emmett, Jasper and a couple of the wolves I was in a bad way. If you think back to the pain that James inflicted on me, that was nothing to what Victoria had done. There was no surviving this, it was at this time that Carlisle, with the agreement of the wolves chose to save me and change me..."

I couldn't help, but cringe at the thought of Bella in pain and after all my stubbornness about her staying human, I felt oddly relieved that Carlisle didn't allow her to die.

"How long ago was this?" I asked, trying to do the maths in my head and failing.

"Just under six months ago, about eight weeks before graduation"

Bella watched me as I tried to calculate the timings. My frown gave away my confusion.

"I guess you are wondering why I am mixing with humans so soon after being changed?"

I could do nothing, but nod.

"...Once I was changed I was taken to the Cullen's house, the wolves roamed the perimeter and there were plans to move up to Alaska somewhere. Charlie's death and my disappearance were a complication. After I woke up I felt thirst, but it wasn't like I had expected it to be. I was still able to take other things in and I was able to laugh and joke with the others.

"On the first hunting trip the whole family went with me and I was enjoying myself. Emmett and I had run ahead of the others and we were competing, when suddenly the scent of humans hit us. Emmett reacted to it more than me and it was me who dragged him away from the scent. After that incident we did tests. First with the wolves, but really with their stench, who would be tempted? Then Billy Black came to visit with Jacob and all I saw was my Dads dear friend.

"After a couple of weeks we were sure that I was no danger and we reintegrated into school. It took some planning. My eyes were so red from being new, but Alice got me some contact lenses, which helped me to blend in. The venom in my eyes attacked them, but as long as I changed them frequently, it was okay. Only a couple of people dared comment that my eyes looked strange, but most were too polite to even mention it.

"It seemed that whilst some of you had gifts of strength or mind reading or ability to tell the future, my gift was simply self control. I was quite bitter about that for a while, but in hindsight, I am pleased as it meant I was able to keep my life as it was. Anyway my short term disappearance was passed off as grief. Charlie's death was passed off as a boat accident and we stuck around. We graduated and with the agreement from the pack we choose to stick around. I used the money that I inherited from Charlie to buy this place. Esme and Alice helped with the interior and occasionally Emmett and Jasper help out, I guess you could say it's a real family business. It's located in an ideal spot; year round shade and instant access to the woods."

I listened to her closely and my mind spun. What had I done? I had left thinking I was saving her but instead I put her in danger... yet again. It was as though Bella could read my thoughts.

"Don't you go blaming yourself for any of this! It was your pig headed guilt complex that saw you disappear from our lives for two years Just bear in mind I can run faster than you so don't even think of fleeing this time. "

I couldn't help, but crack a smile to that last comment, if only she knew how true her words were.

"I am such a fool, I thought by leaving you'd have a chance of a normal human life, but I guess I was wrong. Will you ever forgive me?"

Bella punched my arm and I yelled out in pain, her face was suddenly full of concern and she started to fuss over me. As her hands roamed over my arm, she pushed against my skin and her face was full of confusion and concern.

Whatever patience she had was gone and she was becoming exasperated.

"Okay, I've got you up to speed. Now it's your turn. What on earth have you done, Edward?"

I continued to gingerly rub at my arm; she hadn't hit hard but it still stung. I looked towards my Bella and I tried to get a hold of myself. She needed to know the truth. She deserved the truth, but where do I start? I wasn't ready for this.

I needed to stall and I needed to focus.

"Before I began, can I ask you a question?"

"Just one question" Bella stated then nodded in agreement, reminiscent of the times when I used to limit her questions to me.

"All the times I have been building up to come see you I have played out what would happen. I've imagined you being angry at me or I imagined you having moved on and not being interested in me. I even imagined that you wouldn't recognise me; time has moved on and I left you so suddenly, so I imagined you having forgotten me. Yet you seem so welcoming of my return and I truly don't deserve that, so why is that? Why are you so willing to sit here with me and act as though you still care, even after everything I put you through?"

I braced myself for her answer. _Had I read the situation wrong? Was this the point where she would bring out her wrath? If she did, it wouldn't be anything other than what I deserved. _Leaning my head forward and putting my hands on my head, my shoulders tensed and I waited expectantly.

"Edward... " I feel Bella place her hand on my shoulder and she gently squeezes. She places her other hand under my chin and gently pushes up, encouraging me to look at her. I do as she asks, unwilling and unable to resist.

"Edward... When you left you cut off all ties with me and your family. I don't know where you've been or who, if anyone you've spent time with, but I have been surrounded by those who love me. Those who love you too. I've also has support from Jacob and the Pack. I can't say that he is your biggest fan, but he didn't know you like I did. He never understood your reason for leaving. I was never given the time to wallow in self pity and we have never given up hope of seeing you again. None of the family has... Edward you may have run away, but you never lost us... Never!"

This is all too much. I had geared myself up for arguments and rejection, not understanding and adulation. My mind is spinning and my body is struggling to keep up. I am losing my control. I look deep into Bella's eyes and I cannot sense an ounce of dishonesty in what she is saying.

"You must have been angry at some point?" I press.

"Of course I was and a part of me still is. Edward, If you were sat in front of me right now like the Vampire you were when you left- I would quite happily have kicked your ass by now... And I'd have dented a few trees as I took out my frustration against you and I think we would have both enjoyed every second of it! But look at you, you're in a state. I have never seen you looking so frail... so breakable … so human..." her voice trailed off.

The time was here, she deserved the truth.

"I am not what you think. I'm not human... It's hard to explain. I may look human, a very sick human and believe me I feel like one, but I am not."

Bella's eyes narrowed and she seemed confused. I take her hand gently and pull it to my skin, I lean forward so she can see my eyes and then I place her hand against my still dead heart.

"Smell me, can you sense any blood? Feel my heart, it is still!"

Bella sniffs the air and I see her wrinkle her nose in disgust and she moves towards me to put her ear to my chest. When she pulls away I see a thousand and one questions etched across her face.

"Edward... What have you done?"

I try to get a grip on where to start, but I am exhausted, I have spent so much energy that I am losing my control. I hadn't expected her to be so welcoming of my return. I hadn't expected the chance of seeing my family.

The room is spinning, my ears are buzzing and I feel myself slipping. I curse the timing and I try to fight against it, but before long the all too familiar blackness starts to cloud my eyes. As it overtakes me fully, the last thing I hear is Bella's anguished voice shouting

"Edward! Edward!"

I feel her shaking at my shoulders, but I am unable to respond.


	4. Chapter 3: Return to the Cullens

**Chapter 3: Return to the Cullens**

**29****th**** August 2009**

**Edward P.O.V**

The black fog starts to lift and I feel back in control. I can feel cool air hitting across my face, strong arms are holding me and as I finally open my eyes, I see the thick wooded landscape rushing past me in a blur. As I look up I see Bella looking down at me and she smiles in relief, but then her expression returns to concern.

"Ah! This is so wrong!" I mutter feebly.

I hear Bella laugh and look up to see her grinning at me.

"Ha! Now it's my turn to be the strong one for a change. You carried me often enough, so now I get to have a go. It's quite exhilarating."

I shake my head and chuckle as a memory of one of our first runs together springs to mind.

"I do hope you are concentrating on not hitting the trees," I joke.

Bella laughs aloud; she obviously shares the same memory.

"Silly Edward, its second nature to me now." she says, emphasising the word me.

I then watch as her face contorts into a sinister look and she stares down at me.

"Of course... Your body is quite long, so I do hope that I don't bump you into too many trees..." For a split second I start to feel nervous, but she quickly smooths out her features and smiles warmly. I realise that she was joking; this will take some getting used to, she used to be so easy to read.

"HA! You're face! That was great, I so had you then." She laughs and I groan, but I can't help but smile at how pleased she is with her victory.

For a while we fall into a comfortable silence. I don't know how long I was out for, but that can't have been nice for Bella to see. I had seen someone else go through this and it is a horrifying experience. I am pretty sure it must have looked like I had just gone. I'm just glad she didn't take it at face value. As the landscape continued to rush past, I started to recognise the scenery that I had hunted in so often; we are close to my home and I begin to get nervous.

"Bella!" I call out.

She looks down at me and I see her fight to smooth out her worried features.

"Yes?" she responds.

"Can you slow down, please!"

I can see her wrestle with my request and her obvious determination to get us home. I wring my hands together and decide to be fully open and honest.

"I'm nervous about seeing everyone. I know I have hurt and disappointed them all so much and now I return in this unusual state... I just need a few minutes to gather myself, to prepare for their reaction."

I watch as she takes in what I said and I feel our pace slow down, she's still jogging, but at a more human speed and it will give me a few minutes, before we get to the house.

"If you like you can put me down and we can walk together?" I suggest.

I feel Bella's grip tighten on me slightly and when she looks down at me her expression is stern.

"Edward... I don't see you for almost two years! You finally return to me and you look like a sick frail human and then you black out on me and I spend a few minutes thinking you are dead! I thought I had lost you back there, the only hope I had was the odd tremors your body was experiencing. You were so still for quite a while, so I'm sorry, but No! You aren't walking anywhere."

I swallow hard and sigh, I consider arguing with her that I am fine, but we both know that is a lie and I can see that she is in no mood to argue. I simply nod and allow her to continue carrying me.

I can see the house now and Bella must feel me tensing as she slows down to a steady walk now, but her grip remains firm and it's clear she intends to carry me the entire way. I try my best to relax in her arms, but I can only begin to imagine how odd this must look.

"Are they horribly angry at me?" I ask feebly.

"They were for a while, but they all just miss you terribly and they all want to see you. Try not to worry... only Carlisle and Esme are in at the moment. The others have gone to hunt as a precaution."

"I assure you, none of you would want to feed from me. I have no blood, but if it makes them feel better..."

Bella shrugs.

"Well whilst I can tell that you have no blood, you are not the same as you were when you left, you collapsed before I could ask questions, so we didn't want to take any risks."

I am too weak and nervous to argue with her. I close my eyes to centre my thoughts and when I open them we are at the door, It is already open and I expect Bella to take me to the living room, but instead she rushes me upstairs along the corridors to what was once my room.

Once inside my eyes takes a few minutes to take it all in, many parts of the room haven't changed. My CD collection and my journals are all here, but there are lots of other items that I don't recognise, they are clearly Bella's. A strange feeling of happiness overwhelms me. Bella has clearly taken the room on as her own and rather than remove any of my things, she has just integrated her own things with mine and they fit together perfectly.

I feel Bella putting me down on the couch, which has already been prepared with a pillow and duvet and I watch as Bella steps back away from me. I am about to protest but then my eyes are drawn to Carlisle who quickly approaches and he has got his doctors case with him.

"Oh Edward, what have you done?" He asks.

I grimace at the pain etched across his face and then I hear Esme's voice. She looks down at me full of her motherly love and I place my arm over my eyes, in a feeble attempt to hide away from them. But it is Bella that snaps it out of me. I feel her hand on my arm and she pulls it away and places it down at my side.

"We've all spent long enough without you, so if you don't mind there'll be no hiding away from us... okay?"

I can't help but chuckle at that and I nod in agreement.

I allow Carlisle to examine me. Once he has done I can see he's perplexed and I give him a minute to digest what he can see and hear. As Carlisle turns to look at me he stares for a long time without speaking and I realise he must be trying to speak in his mind, but I cannot hear him.

He pauses as he studies my lack of reaction.

"My gift is not working, you will have to speak out loud, whatever it is you want to say, just say it. There should be no secrets from anyone."

Carlisle sighs and sits on the edge of the couch; his hand rests on my leg.

"Edward, your skin is flushed and your eyes have returned to their green colour. You give off the appearance of human, but I detect no heartbeat and I cannot detect any blood flowing within you. Even the venom seems to be weak... What happened?"

I look around at Bella, Esme and Carlisle and take a deep breath to ready myself. I try to sit up but I am pushed back down by Carlisle. I don't resist and lay back down.

"I'm dying" I state.

I feel all three sets of eyes focussing on me and I hear Esme and Bella gasp. Carlisle shakes his head and I feel him squeeze my leg, but I can tell that he doesn't doubt what I am saying.


	5. Chapter 4: The truth of the matter

**Chapter 4: The truth of the matter**

**29****th**** August 2009**

**Edward P.O.V**

I put my hand up to ask them to give me a minute and I gather my thoughts. I'd replayed this over and over in my head, but I didn't know whether I could really do it justice. Taking a deep breath I began to share what happened.

"When I left Forks, I travelled aimlessly at first... I battled with myself every day with the decision to stay away, but I thought it was for the best. Countless times I considered coming back, but as time wore on it was harder and harder to even consider coming back. Eventually I ended up in Mexico. Our kind are more common there, which meant I could blend in and be anonymous. On the whole they kept to themselves, but it was there that I met Adam. He and I were well matched, given that we both stuck out like sore thumbs. We didn't suit the general image of the others. I liked him though, he was quite charming and his thoughts were calm and gentle.

"He invited me to go hunting with him, but I pointed out that I didn't feed from humans. I expected him to make fun of me or think I was joking, but he showed genuine interest... so I taught him how we hunt. He seemed to really like the idea of not having to kill humans. We became friends and after a while he began to tell me why he was in Mexico. He had heard stories of a doctor who had a cure... A way to return to being human. I listened to him and I wanted to share his enthusiasm, but I had been a part of our way of life much longer than him and I was cynical... but I allowed him to fill me with the stories and he kept telling me about how close he was."

I had to pause to catch my breath, it had been a while since I did this much talking, but I could see that I had their full attention.

"One day he came in full of excitement. He had met this mysterious doctor, he called himself Doctor Peters. This doctor claimed to have a cure and had agreed to cure him. I was genuinely pleased for him, but I warned him to be careful. I offered to go with him, but he told me that this doctor insisted on doing it in private and only the two of them could be there. As I waved him off I fully expected that this would be the last I saw of him, but sure enough a few days later he came to see me and his skin was flushed, he had blue eyes and he was full of life. He claimed he had been cured. Of course I am no fool, I have had enough medical training that I checked him over and the first thing I noticed was the lack of heartbeat, but he explained that this was something that takes a few days to kick in.

"I was such a fool as I rushed straight in. This was my answer to everything! I could finally be with Bella, but as a human., We could be together, assuming that I could get her to forgive me, without the fear of my world being the death of her. Adam had told Doctor Peters about me and my diet and he said that the doctor was genuinely intrigued by me. He told me that this doctor was willing to save me. I rushed into it head first and had a meeting with him; and there was nothing to doubt his sincerity... not from the words he said aloud or in his thoughts. Little did I know that Adam had worked out the gift I had and had shared it with the doctor. We met several times and eventually he agreed. I told him all about Bella and my want to be with her and the date was set..."

I took a moment to catch my breath again and continued with my memories of the events.

"I met with Doctor Peters at a nearby coffee shop and he drove us to a hotel, inside his room looked like a laboratory. He explained the procedure to me and it seemed simple enough; an intravenous drip with this special substance. He explained it was to combat the venom and allow for blood to be restored and eventually the heart would restart meaning I would be cured. I was so blind to it, but he had me convinced in the honesty of his thoughts and it made sense from a medical point of view too.

"He had a special needle with reinforced metal to penetrate my skin and the procedure began. I felt no pain, just an unusual feeling. The bag was about half full when his thoughts began to slip; just a few thoughts here and there about how pleased he was to have gotten another one and that he wouldn't rest till he had justice for his son. I questioned him and he mocked me and my mind reading gift. I pulled the needle out but he told me the damage was already done and then he fled. I rushed back to find Adam and when I did I was horrified by what I found. He looked frail and I knew he was dying. His heartbeat had never kicked in, whatever it was that we were injected with was no cure! It was just attacking the venom... but once the venom is gone, there would be nothing."

Carlisle gasped and I assume he was considering the implication of what would happen once the venom was gone.

"I managed to find another nomad that Adam and I occasionally talked to, who agreed to bite him again to change him back. He agreed that he would do me next, but Adam was the priority. When he bit Adam, not only did it not work but it killed the nomad straight away. As soon as he bit into Adam, he clutched at his throat as though he was being strangled and he just turned to dust. It was horrid to watch. We were in shock at what had just happened.

"Next I tried to feed Adam: first with animal blood - but he just wretched, brought it all back up and it caused him obvious pain - and then with human blood - which I stole from a blood bank, but his reaction to that was worse than with the animal blood. Then it hit me, our death would be from two things. Our venom was being slowly eroded and once gone, we'd have nothing to sustain us... Meanwhile without the ability to feed without pain, we'd simply waste away. I sat and watched as Adam did just that, a combination of whatever was in his system and his inability to sustain himself with anything and... I can't tell you which was worst. I got a good look of how I am going to go. As soon as I was sure that Adam had gone I decided not to waste another moment and I came home."

I was exhausted; by all that I had shared with them and it was hard bringing up the memories of what had happened to Adam.


	6. Chapter 5: Reactions and plan of action

**Chapter 5: Reactions and a Plan of Action**

**29****th**** August 2009**

**Edward P.O.V**

They each reacted differently. As expected, Esme was full of grief and concern for me. Bella, looked like she was torn between anger and shock. But Carlisle's reaction surprised me the most. I could see the rage etched across his face - whilst I could no longer read his mind, it was more than clear that he was livid.

"How long?" Carlisle pressed, struggling to control his tone.

"Adam had his procedure four weeks before mine and I was with him for two weeks, before he died. He went through the full procedure and I pulled out my needle before it was complete so that may make a difference, but I am not convinced. At best I'd say I have about three to four weeks, though towards the end Adam couldn't do much more than lay there and decay. His mind was always active, but his body was slowly shutting down. I feel rather ghastly and selfish coming home for you all to watch me go through that but I just couldn't bear to be alone."

I feel Carlisle pat my leg and then he leans down and runs his hand through my hair, his eyes were close to mine and he looked at me so tenderly.

"Don't you dare apologise for coming home. We will find a way to stop this Edward, I promise."

I wish I could believe him. I am taken by surprise when Esme rushes towards me and hugs me. Bella is soon by my side, her head resting against my own and I feel an odd since of peace, despite the pain racking through my body.

Carlisle begins to pace the room, deep in thought; his expression still darker than I had ever seen before from him, but every so often he'd look towards us and he would try to compose himself.

"You said you picked up on a few of this... Doctor Peters thought's... when you were going through the process. Why was he doing this?"

"From what I could pick up, he was bitter about the death of his son. I would imagine it was death by vampire, but who or how I do not know. I am pretty sure that Adam was not the first and I doubt I was his last. I have no doubt that he was intending to do this to others."

Carlisle sighed unhappily and Edward could imagine the thoughts he was battling with. There are many of our kind who can be cruel and callous and if this man was acting out of grief, then it could be - in part - understood.

Carlisle walked over to a nearby desk and banged his fists down on it, although he immediately turned to Esme and apologised for the damage but she just put her hand up to stop him. They shared a tender look and Carlisle turned back to me.

"But why you? He had obviously been told about your gift and you had told him about your love for Bella and our diet choice is not typical of our kind. Did that not count for him?"

I knew that this would come up, I had had this same thought countless times myself.

"Carlisle, the thoughts I did pick up where deeply rooted in bitterness... I don't think he believed that I could have been as good as I sounded. He's unlikely to have found a vampire like me on his travels, especially not in the places he seems to target... So I would imagine he distrusted every word Adam had told him about me and anything I did say was treated with contempt, but he used it all in order to persuade me to go through with it."

Carlisle opened his mouth to respond a couple of times, but he seemed to decide against whatever he was about to say.

For a while the room fell into an easy silence. Esme and Bella stayed by my side and Carlisle stood nearby, his face full of concentration.

A short while later the others returned and as they appeared in the room, I could see them all sniffing the air - some more discretely than others - and it was almost amusing to see their expressions go from tentative, to disgust, to confusion. They all stood staring and I didn't stop them, I deserved it after all I had put them through and I knew I looked like a freak right now.

It was Emmett who was the first to speak, breaking the tension in the air.

"You look terrible!" he stated.

"Well, dying will do that to you!" I retorted.

"Well, technically you're already dead so how can you be dying?" he pressed.

"Well I liked it so much the first time, I decided to do it all over again... Only this time I guess I went too far and it will be more traditional and permanent." I retorted.

I cringed at the hiss in my ear from Bella, so I flashed her an apologetic look and her returning smile told me I was forgiven. I could see the confusion on his face and I felt a little cruel at teasing him at a time like this, but it felt oddly fitting to lighten the mood.

"Missed you man!" he added.

"Missed you too!" I respond.

Emmett surprised everyone by bounding across the room and picking me up like a rag doll and giving me a bear hug. It knocks the wind out of me, and I think it shocked Emmett how light I was, but this is just how Emmett is so I can not be angry at him. As soon as he realises that I am struggling to breath he puts me down and seems a little upset at how feeble my body is; how breakable I seem to be.

"Sorry," he blurts out.

"No! Its fine, you weren't to know how bad a shape I am in." I say in between ragged breaths.

The others all come up to me more tentatively. Jasper seems to take my appearance the worst; he is quiet, reserved and holds back and silently I wonder if he is still feeling guilt for the reason I left in the first place. Rosalie is pleased to see me but hates to see me like this; she tells me that she wanted so much to kick my ass for putting them through hell but now that she's seen me, she wants nothing more than to hug me. Alice is shocked - she had already seen me in her visions, but she couldn't understand why in her visions of my return I looked so wrong and weak however now she realised her vision was never at fault, I was.

I turn towards Jasper and beckon him closer. He's resistant at first, but he relents and comes over to me. I hold out my hand and he takes it and he bows his head.

"Jeez Edward, what's happened to you? I can feel the weakness emanating from you from across the room. I'm sorry…"

"Shhh!" I tell him and he quietens. I squeeze his hand as best I can and pat him on the shoulder. He rejoins Alice and they embrace.

I rest my body and my eyes whilst Carlisle, Bella and Esme get everyone up to speed. They must think I am sleeping as I can hear Emmett joking about how lucky I am that at least I can sleep now.

I can't resist interrupting.

"I'm not asleep, well at least not in the traditional sense. I still can't sleep, I just need to rest my eyes. My mind won't shut off, it's constantly active, but my body has to at times. It's very weird but oddly settling. It's the one thing in all this mess that I could get used to."

After their discussions die down and I have rested for a while, I can see how cramped everyone is in my room. Even though none of us feel discomfort, we've gotten used to our space.

"Please, let's go downstairs to the living room; it has to be a bit better for everyone down there."

There is a bit of debate as to whether to move me and I point out that I had travelled a great distance to be here and as long as I get some rest, I am more than capable of moving around. Eventually they relent and I am allowed to sit up on an arm chair in the living room, but I am propped up by a ridiculous amount of pillows and I have a blanket over me. I did try to protest, but Esme and Bella insisted and I am in no position to argue against any of them.

Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle have been gone a while as the others entertain me and fill me in with everything I have missed. When I next see Carlisle and my brothers, the reason for their absence is clear. They each carry bags, which are packed and ready for a trip. I don't need to ask them where they are going as it is pretty clear they are going to chase after the doctor but a part of me is angry and disappointed.

"It's pointless you going... Even if you find him, he won't help us and I came home to spend time with all of my family. Please don't go. Stay with me until the end." I plead.

Carlisle kneels in front of me and places his hands on my lap.

"Edward, my son, we are giving ourselves five days to find him. If we don't find him in that time then we promise you that we'll come straight home and be with you 'til the end but, we have to try."

"Promise me you'll be back before it's too late," I whisper.

"You have my word."

I look up at Jasper and Emmett and they each come to hug me goodbye. I watch as they leave and I sink back into my chair. Bella is quickly at my side; running her hand through my hair, she leans down and kisses the top of my head - something I used to do to her all the time. She places an arm around my chest, I wrap my own around hers and hold on to her. We stay this way for a while, comforting each other.

A part of me hopes that they find him but another part of me hopes that they don't waste too much time and hurry back sooner than the five days as I don't want to waste any of the time I have got left.


	7. Chapter 6: The Pack

**Chapter 6: The Pack**

**30****th**** August 2009**

**Bella P.O.V**

Edward was resting on the couch but he was getting restless. I promised him that we'd go outside for some fresh air when I got back but I had to run an errand with Alice first.

"Where are you going? Can I come?" He had asked.

"We just need to sort a few things out... You rest and save your energy for later," I soothed.

The truth is that we needed to let the pack at La Push know of his return. Ever since the run in with Victoria and my becoming a vampire the relationship with the Pack was pretty solid - but still a little precarious - and it seemed to work. I wouldn't say we all trusted each other explicitly, but we were able to live in close proximity and respect each other's boundaries and a few new friendships had been formed.

Part of this relationship involved each side keeping the other informed of new developments. If ever we had visitors or knew of vampires coming to the area, we would let them know in advance. Whenever they got new members to the Pack they would tell us; though after Victoria was destroyed and Laurent ran away the pack hadn't grown for a while.

Esme and Rosalie assured me that they would keep Edward out of trouble.

As we travelled to the boundary line I had to admit I was looking forward to seeing Jacob. I hadn't seen him for a while but I was nervous, unsure of how he would react to Edwards return.

Alice was driving and she assured me that everything would be okay and I had no reason to doubt her. As we travelled the curving roads and then reached the boundary line we spotted Jacob and Sam standing together side by side. It looked like Jacob had grown since I last saw him.

Sam greeted us both with a simple polite nod of the head and Alice remained quite business like and formal in return, but Jacob and I had never been that conventional, we quickly walked towards each other and he gave me a big hug. I even forgave him when he sniffed at my hair and told me that I stank.

"So what's going on and why is the deli shut today? Or are you forgetting some of your best customers?" Jacob teased.

I playfully hit him against the arm and he barely flinched. The Pack were always at the Deli, even though they seldom paid.

"We may be closed for a day or two, unless I can get some cover. Something has happened and we wanted to be straight with you guys. Edward has come home."

I picked up on Jacob's reaction immediately; he tensed and his nostrils flared and he began to shake. I put my hand on his arm to calm him down and it seemed to work.

"If he's causing you any trouble, just let us know and we'll sort him out" Jacob promised.

I rolled my eyes at his assumption and the fact he automatically dipped into the Pack plural. He didn't seem to know how to read my reaction.

"Wait a minute... Are you telling me that you've all just accepted him back like nothing has happened? He ran out on you all! Where was he when Victoria attacked? Where was he when Charlie got killed? …" Jacob spat.

I started to lose my patience and I could feel myself getting angry but I did not come here to pick a fight with Jacob or the Pack. Sam sensed how tense things were getting and stood closer to Jacob as if ready to defend him.

"Please Jacob! Listen to what we have to say before you make your judgements. Edward leaving caused a lot of heartache. I won't deny that, but it's complicated. He's in a bad way and he needs our help."

Sam placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder and told me to go on. Jacob still looked annoyed as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm listening," he stated.

Along with Alice's help I was able to tell Jacob and Sam what Edward had told us. We explained that Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper had gone to search for this "Doctor" and the rest of us were looking after Edward. I could see by their faces that they were both a little shocked by what we had told them.

"Why are you telling us this? What does it matter to us?" Jacob asked.

His words stung me a little, but I didn't want to fight.

"Firstly, we all promised to let each other know when anything had changed. Secondly, I wanted to ask a favour. A big one. I wondered... if the pack could keep an eye on us. Laurent was never found and if he is watching - and waiting - in the shadows then now would be a good time for him to attack; especially given that the guys have all gone on a trip and if he was to attack, Edward would be no match to him at all."

My conviction trailed off towards the end, against all odds Jacob and I had remained friends. Even when he became a werewolf and spent months trying to protect me. Even when I was changed to a vampire to avoid death. But I wondered if this was too much to ask. He had always resented Edward for leaving like he did and I think he thought, or hoped, that I would never forgive him.

Jacob and Sam looked to each other and Sam nodded towards Jacob. I had no idea what that meant but I never did understand the whole Alpha/Beta thing that the pack had going on.

"We'll keep an eye out but we'd both like to see Edward for ourselves."

I hesitated, I hadn't expected this. Jacob seemed to sense my hesitation and stepped towards me.

"I promise not to bite his head off- but I'd like to see how bad he is for myself."

My reaction took everyone by surprise, my stance changed and I let out a guttural snarl. Alice quickly appeared at my side, ready to hold my back and Sam mirrored her with Jacob.

Jacob put his hand up in mock surrender and I tried to regain composure.

"If all you want to do is come and gloat over him, don't bother, we'll manage without your help!" I spat.

Jacob shook his head and moved towards me, I moved back.

"I'm sorry Bella, you misunderstood my intentions. I'm not his biggest fan and I can't guarantee I won't have a word or two to say, but I have no intention to gloat. It would just be helpful if we can get a true sense of his condition to relate to the pack. We also need his scent, from what you told us his scent is odd and we'll need to get a good whiff of him so we know who to avoid if we have to move in on Laurent."

My posture relaxed as I listened to Jacob, I felt a little ashamed of how I responded but I was a little on edge at the moment.

"Sorry Jacob, for my assumption and my reaction."

Jacob lunged forward and hugged me, much to Alice's disgust; she never had gotten accustomed to their smell.

"No problem, I should have phrased myself better. He's not my favourite person, I can't say I won't put my foot in it but from what you've told us, it sounds like he's suffering enough right now."

Jacob and Sam followed us to the house, Alice had called to let Esme know we were coming and by the time we got there she was waiting for us at the door.

"Jacob! Sam! So good to see you both." Esme called out, she held out her arms and they both moved in for a hug.

All of the Pack were oddly taken by Esme - after years of being unsure of the Cullen's, after the events that brought us all together - she seemed to have become mother to everyone.

"How is he?" I asked her.

"Difficult! He's been fretting about you since you left. I don't think he realises just how much time we've all spent together... he was worried that you would all get into a fight, silly boy!"

I groaned at that, even in his delicate state he thinks he should look out for me. What am I going to do with him?

When we all go inside, Edward is standing; he has his arms folded in front of him and he looks like he is trying his best to look sturdy. Though, he looks anything but. I rush over to him and we embrace, I can feel his body shaking with the effort he's putting it through.

"Sit down before you fall down." I whisper in his ear.

He stands his ground but I push him towards the couch and he's no match for me. As he sits down he flashes me a look of contempt and I just return a smug look.

"Edward, you've met Jacob before and this is Sam, they're from the Pack at La Push. The Pack and the Cullen's are on good terms and they've agreed to help us over the next few days. They will patrol the area and keep an eye out for us whilst the guys are away."

Edward looked over to them both, but his eyes settled on Jacob. Bella watched them both as they squared off against each other. Soon she couldn't take it any longer and moved to stand between them.

"Let's just get a few things straight shall we? Before you left Edward, Jacob and I were friends and when I needed him, he was there for us but we're still just friends. He and Leah are an item and there is no need for you to feel like there is any competition for my affections."

Edward shrunk away from me as I spoke and Jacob laughed.

"… and you Jacob Black, need to ease up on Edward - he's been through a lot. When he left me I was hurt but he left me with good intentions. He left me to give me a chance to stay human. He wasn't to know what would happen to me. He's back now and whatever has happened in the past stays in the past, so get used to us being together."

It was now Edward's time to laugh and Jacob looked suitably chastised.

Edward dutifully allowed Sam and Jacob to get his scent and he joined in the discussions as we all discussed boundaries and timings of who would patrol and when. As the discussions wore on we could all see the change in Edward, he looked exhausted.

Jacob and Sam left after all the arrangements were made and I was pleased when Jacob and Edward shook hands. Although the shocked look from Jacob when he sensed how weak Edward's body was, unnerved me.

The rest of the family made themselves busy as I took Edward up to our room. He seemed to want to talk but I reminded him that we had tomorrow to do that and I suggested that he let himself rest instead. I lay by his side throughout the night.


	8. Chapter 7: Fulfilling Wishes

**Chapter 7: Fulfilling Wishes**

**31****st**** August 2009**

**Bella P.O.V**

Laying by Edward's side overnight was an unnerving experience. With his eyes closed, I worried on more than one occasion whether he was still with me but, every so often, his body would experience tremors. I adapted after a while and began to recognise the pattern.

When daylight shone into the room, I studied his face. I had so missed this face. With my heightened senses I could take in much more detail.

When his eyes opened and meet mine I am rewarded with a wonderful smile. It's not quite the crooked smile I was fond of from before, but it is a beautiful one none the less.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible…but that isn't changing soon. I am rested though and I shouldn't go collapsing on you today."

I groan at how glib he sounds and how relaxed he seems about his situation but I know him only too well. Even with our roles in reverse he is still trying to protect me. I wish he wouldn't.

I watch as he sits up gingerly. He then stands up and stretches and walks towards the far window. I have to fight against the part of me that wants to hover near him in case he falls. He turns towards me and I can sense that he knows how unsure I am.

"I pushed myself too hard yesterday... I've still got a little time yet before I become totally useless. I'd prefer to enjoy what time I have doing more than just laying down and resting, if that's okay?"

I am still hesitant. When I thought I had lost him yesterday it scared me, but he's right. I can't expect him to sit and do nothing. The idea of a bit of enjoyment was rather appealing.

"So, what would you like to do?" I asked.

Edward ran his hand through his hair and thought for quite some time. I tried to wait patiently, but it was useless. I couldn't wait any longer and I moved to join him at his side.

"I've not got long before my body will be too weak to do much and there are so many things I want to do. I don't know where to start." He finally said, breaking the silence.

I could hear the pain in his voice and I shared it. This was all so unfair. I leant down to pick up one of his unfinished journals and I flipped to a blank page. I passed him a pen and he took it from me but his expression was one of confusion.

"Take a few minutes to stop and think."

I moved away to give him some privacy, but he held his hand out to me. I drifted back to his side and let him hold on to me. He continued to struggle, with his thoughts. I eventually persuaded him to let me go, with the promise that I wouldn't be leaving the room.

I needed to make some arrangements for the Deli. I picked up my phone to call in a favour from Angela Webber.

"Hey Angela; its Bella. I hope I didn't interrupt anything, but I need a favour?"

"It's already covered." she responded.

"I haven't asked yet" I pressed. I listened to her laugh on the end of the line.

"It's okay, Jacob told Embry that you had some family business to take care of and as soon as Embry told me I got on the phone to Emily and Leah. Between us we'll cover the Deli 'til you get back. I still have the keys you gave me last time so don't worry about it."

I didn't quite know what to say other than "Thank you." I closed my phone and was pleased that I didn't have to worry about the Deli. I have always been able to depend on Angela. I had been a little wary when she started seeing Embry. She has no idea about the Pack or the truth behind the Cullen's and me but, with Angela, I am pretty sure that she would still be loyal even if she knew the truth.

I looked back over to Edward and he still looked so anguished. It was clear that he needed help.

"So what have you come up with?" I pressed.

"Well I have so much that I would like to do, but I am well aware of the time constraints so I was trying to decide what was most important to me."

"...and?"

"I'd like to spend some time at our meadow?"

"That's an easy one. We can do that today if you like?"

The smile he rewards me with, makes it clear that he'd like that a lot.

"I miss the thrill of driving fast, but I can't trust my reactions, so perhaps as a passenger I would still get enjoyment of it."

I had to roll my eyes at this, trust Edward to still crave his speed.

"Well I will leave that one to Alice or Rosalie..."

His face screws up and he seems to be fighting the urge to say something.

"What?"

"Can't you do it?"

Realisation dawned on me; he didn't want to be apart.

"Oh! I can come... just they get more of a thrill out of the fast driving than me."

He visibly relaxes at my suggestion.

"This one may sound a little weird, but I would like to see you hunt. Returning home and finding you as a vampire hasn't upset me as much as I thought it would and you seem to have adapted to it so easily and... I think I'd like to see how you hunt."

That request was a strange one. I had no objections but the mere fact that he disappeared from our lives in order to prevent my joining him as a vampire, it was odd to hear him say that he wanted to see me hunt.

"Sure. How about we go to the meadow for a while, come back here for a rest and then if you're up for it I will take you out tonight whilst I hunt."

He was obviously pleased by this suggestion as his face lit up with a smile.

"Anything else?"

"I want to spend some quality time with the family. I want to be around everyone, but I would like a little one on one time with each of you."

The pain in his voice was obvious as he made this request.

"I'm sure we can do that..."

His demeanour suddenly changed and he looked completely unsure of himself. I watched as he fidgeted nervously, he ran his hand through his hair and swallowed thickly. I waited for him to continue, but he seemed to get more and more anxious as the silence wore on.

"Edward?"

He turned away from me, trying to avoid my gaze. I adjusted my position to prevent him from being able to hide away.

"Come on, what is it?"

"The one thing I want the most, is the one thing that I know I can't have and it hurts to admit it to myself, so saying it out loud is even more difficult..."

My mind raced as I tried to work out what he could mean, but I there was so much it could be.

"If I had to give one wish - the most important wish of all - it would to marry you and to live with you forever, but..."

As soon as the words were uttered my thoughts were a jumbled up mess. The thought of being with Edward forever was all I had ever wanted but the notion of marriage had never been uttered. The biggest surprise to me was how much I seemed to like the idea, if only that were possible.

Edward looked so anguished, he looked incredibly nervous too, I wonder if he thought he'd offended me.

"Edward. I wish we had forever too and I haven't given up hope either. Maybe Carlisle will have some success. As for marriage, the notion of it isn't as alien to me as I would have thought and if it were at all possible I would do it but it may be a hard one to fulfil. I will look into it though."

Edwards eyes searched my face, his own eyes appeared brighter than they had since his return. I worked hard to keep my expression neutral, but inside I was dancing. I had wanted to be bound to Edward for as long as I was with him and the thought that he wanted it too was heart warming. I didn't want to let him get his hopes up too much though.

"If this is the end for me and you are willing, then a wedding would mean so much to me. I don't need fanfare or fanciness, just something simple would do. Maybe the fast drive can be to somewhere like Las Vegas. Not exactly romantic and we'd probably end up with a ceremony conducted by Elvis, but it's at least something."

I had to chuckle at how fast he spoke. His mind seemed to be racing, but even with the speed we are able to drive, a trip to Las Vegas may be a bit much for him.

"Let's look into it," I say, trying to rein him in. He looks marginally despondent, but as he sees my smile, his euphoria returns and he rushes over for an embrace. As his arms wrap around me, I try not to react to how weak his grip seems. I wrap my arms around him and hold on, trying hard not to grip too hard as he feels so incredibly breakable.

I just hope that Carlisle and the others have some sort of success but a part of me is doubtful. Edward assures me he still has a few days yet. Before he's too weak and I intend to make every last minute count as if it were the last... However having seen him collapse yesterday and watching how hard he seems to be fighting to appear strong now, I can't help worry that no matter how long we have together, it won't be very long.

I quickly snap out of my dark thoughts. Now is not the time for wallowing, now is the time for action. I composed my features as best I can and pull back so I could look deep into Edward's eyes.

"So your wishes are all possible. Some of them are easy, but some need some thinking and planning..."

As the words leave my lips I see what can only be described as dejection cloud his features, he seems to have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

"... Please, believe me when I tell you that I have no hesitations or objections to what you ask but I need to consider the logistics. I suggest we start with the meadow. We can spend some quality time there and then come back here so you can rest, then I will take you with me as I hunt."

The smile emanating from Edward is radiant and contagious. I move in for a kiss and leave Edward smiling like a fool as I go to let Esme, Rosalie and Alice know what our plans are.

We set off for the Meadow. I drive part of the way and then carry him the rest. He seems to be in a much more pliable mood this time and makes no objections to my carrying him.

As we reached the meadow, his whole demeanour changed; his body relaxed and his general mood brightened. We spent hours sitting and talking and enjoying the time alone together. As the sun dips in the sky I can see that Edwards energy is dwindling.

"Let's go back to the house for a few hours, so you can get some rest before tonight."

I watch as he battles with himself. He clearly wants to object to my idea, but he seems to accept that he is in no fit state to argue and he clearly didn't want to get in the way of seeing me hunt.

Once we returned home Alice seemed in an unusually good mood. Whatever it is, she seems very pleased with herself. Edward is too exhausted to notice and I leave him resting - with Esme and Rosalie by his side - as I track Alice down.

"Any news Alice?" I ask.

"Carlisle spoke to Esme earlier, they have a lead but it may take some time." she responded.

I let the news sink in. I should have guessed that it was too soon for news. As I look back up to Alice her face is full of a mischievous smile, which confuses me at first, before I realise that there is never anything random about Alice and her reactions. She's up to something.

"What are you up to?" I accuse.

Alice beams at me and cannot contain her excitement over whatever she had planned.

"Bella... I was going to try and keep this a secret from both of you and make it a joint surprise... but given the time constraints and the fact that I need your help with it, I guess I have no choice..."

I hate it when Alice ias like this, she can be so annoying sometimes. I was getting impatient, I started to frown, but Alice quickly waved my expression off.

"Don't be so impatient!" She chastised.

"Okay, so, Edward's big wish, that you told him you didn't object to; is the most complicated one, right?"

I groan as neither of us had told Alice, so she'd obviously seen it in a vision.

"Right…" I say cautiously.

".. and I guess you contemplated combining his desire to be driven fast with this and thought about a trip to Las Vegas and a quickie ceremony?" she pressed.

"Of course I did! But he gets worn out quite easily and I worry that the drive would be too much for him. If he is too worn out to enjoy the ceremony, then what is the point? I think Las Vegas is too far, we need to stay close to Forks."

"Well what if your fabulous sister has managed to arrange a ceremony to happen. Close to home. With no need for long journeys. And what if it could be done tomorrow?"

My eyes light up but I remain suspicious. This was fast work, even for Alice.

"Now before you get too excited, I have to point out that this won't be a traditional ceremony. I don't even know if it is recognised in any legal form but it's close to home and we wouldn't need to come up with any convoluted story to those involved." Alice said smugly.

I was now more intrigued than ever. I tried to rack my brain as to what she could mean but I drew a blank. I knew that Emmett was once ordained for the fun of it, but he was on the search for this Doctor with Jasper and Carlisle.

"OK Alice, you've got me. I have no idea what you are talking about but whatever it is I will take it, so spill!"

Alice couldn't contain her obvious excitement and enthusiasm.

"Billy Black!"

"Jacob's dad?" I questioned.

Alice grinned, she was always happy when she surprised me.

"Yes! He's part of the Tribal Council! He's been one of the leaders for quite some time. On the reservation he has the ability to perform blessing ceremonies for couples on the reservation. It's not traditional or legal but it is a recognised service amongst the right people and its morally binding."

As Alice spoke my optimism rose then plummeted.

"There is a pretty big problem with that, Alice. You said that he does this on the reservation. They won't do that for us. Even with our strained friendship, they still maintain the boundaries."

"That's where you are wrong Bella. I don't think the Pack fully trust all of us, but they've always been fond of you. Especially Jacob and Billy, you are still Charlie's daughter to them. I didn't even need to beg them, it was actually Jacob's suggestion and Billy didn't hesitate. I think that Jacob was truly moved when he saw Edward yesterday."

I was stunned. I had always been so happy that I hadn't had to break contact with Jacob and I was so touched that they would do this for us.

"Thank you Alice! It will be perfect. I think we'll keep it from Edward though. Like you said, at least one of us can be surprised."


	9. Chapter 8: The thrill of the hunt

**Chapter 8: The thrill of the hunt**

**1st September 2009**

**Bella P.O.V.**

After my chat with Alice I rejoined Esme and Rosalie in the living room. They were sitting on the pristine sofas staring at Edward. As they heard us approach, their expression made it clear that they were very worried about Edward.

"He's not gone," I assure them and watched as relief flooded through their features.

"It's very odd to see him so still. He scared me with it early this morning too."

Edward's lips turned up at the corners as he heard me. If he wasn't so worn out I'd have hit him for that but I chose to let him rest. I didn't want to jeopardise our fun later.

I noticed that only Alice seemed to be relaxed around Edward, despite his worrying state but that is the beauty of her gift. For as long as she can see him participating in something in the near future, she has no need to feel panic.

"I'm sure he's comfortable enough, where he is. Alice and I would appreciate your help with something." I could sense Edward stiffen, ever so slightly.

"I'll be back in just a few minutes." I assured him.

His eyes remained closed and he remained deathly still, but I saw the tension in his shoulders ease and he seemed to relax. Once outside the room I dragged Rosalie and Esme into the garage, where Alice was waiting. Between us we told them of the plans for the ceremony. We spoke in hushed tones, keen to prevent Edward overhearing.

"That's wonderful!" Esme chimed.

"It would be even better if Carlisle and the others could be there, but I am sure there will be time to do something with them."

Rosalie was more hesitant.

"It's good that they will do this, but can we trust them? I mean we'll be in their territory and greatly outnumbered… Are you sure?" As soon as she spoke the words I could see the uncertainty in her features, she was clearly worried.

"Don't be so suspicious!" Esme chided.

"Rosalie, I trust Jacob. The pack has been very good to all of us and I have no reason to doubt them. Besides we have Alice and she hasn't seen anything in her mind to worry her."

Alice crossed her arms in like a sullen child and shook her head sadly at Rosalie.

"Even after all this time, you doubt my abilities."

Rosalie looked suitably uncomfortable and fought against her worries. She sighed heavily, clearly exasperated at the situation.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. It's just strange being without the guys. I'll be on my best behaviour. I promise." Rosalie tilted her head towards the floor, unwilling to look Alice in the eyes.

Alice threw her hands up in frustration. She knew that Rosalie wasn't being intentionally obtuse, but it always seemed to upset Alice whenever her gift was brought into question.

I watched as Alice brushed off her irritation and focused on something she knew she would enjoy.

"We'll all have a think about how best to get him there. We can discuss plans whilst you and Edward go out to hunt." Alice said in a bubbly voice. I smiled warmly at her, but a part of me was a little uneasy as I was fairly certain that she already had some ideas up her sleeve, but knowing Alice she wouldn't want Edward to get all of the fun.

Resigning myself to the fact that I wouldn't have control over the ceremony, I left the three of them talking in hushed tones and rejoined Edward. He hadn't moved, he was still sitting perfectly still and as I sat by his side his arm was soon around my shoulders.

It was such a natural move for Edward, but it felt so wrong. I couldn't feel any weight from where his arm was resting. I leant into his chest and was content to stay by his side. I tried my best to adjust to the weird tremors his body would do every so often but it was still so unnerving. I tilted my head to look out of the window as the landscape changed due to the sun dipping in the sky.

I didn't hear or see any more of Esme, Rosalie or Alice. I wondered whether they were too busy plotting and planning or whether they were just giving us some alone time together. Either way I was very grateful. I wasn't sure how long had passed, but the sun had dipped behind the trees now. It was Twilight, the odd time between the sun setting and the moon rising.

I barely felt it as Edward moved his arm. My heart grew heavy as I realised that his body was growing weaker. I thought he'd deteriorate much slower than this. As I turned to face him I saw his eyes were wide open and he was staring at me intently. His face was lit up in a smile.

"Thank you!" he murmured.

"For what?" I was suddenly worried that he'd overheard what we had planned for tomorrow.

"Thank you, for staying by my side this afternoon. It was oddly comforting, knowing you were nearby."

"Oh! That's fine... I have nowhere else I'd rather be."

Edward searched my face for a moment then I felt him leaning towards me. I mirrored his actions and our lips met. As we kissed I felt a surge of electricity tingle against my lips. I had missed his lips so much. His lips were eager and his arms roamed around me but he soon tired and had to pull away.

His face was contorted in frustration and anguish.

"Sorry!" he panted, clearly out of breath.

"Shh!" I soothed, rubbing his arm gently. I hated seeing him like this.

We sat in silence for a while, I tried to give Edward the space to deal with his frustrations in his own time but my impatience got the better of me. I couldn't bear the silence any longer.

"Are you sure you're up to watching me hunt tonight? Maybe we should just relax?"

I watched as Edwards jaw tensed and his posture stiffened. He sighed unhappily.

"I'm fed up of relaxing. I'm deteriorating quickly and I don't want to miss out on anything. I'll be fine!" he snapped.

Any other time his tone would have riled me and I would have bitten back, but I just let it slide. He was obviously feeling repentant, because he was soon apologising.

"Sorry Bella, I shouldn't take it out on you. I know you're only trying to help but truly, I am fine and I really don't want to miss out on seeing you hunt. All this resting is an unnecessary and annoying necessity and I have so much more that I would prefer to do."

We had a quick kiss and a cuddle before I helped him to stand up. I left him looking out of the window whilst I went to find the others. I found no sign of Rosalie or Alice in the house, but I did find Esme in the garden.

"I'm taking Edward out to see me hunt."

"Okay darling. You enjoy yourselves... Have you got your phone with you? If you need me, just call."

"Yes, Mom!" I joked.

Esme didn't turn round or acknowledge me; she just waved me off with a flick of her wrist. I gathered Edward and we headed out the front door.

We took a gentle stroll towards the forest edge and then we stopped. I could sense Edward stiffen beside me.

"Time to hop on up!"

He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the request.

"Come on, I am more than capable of carrying you Edward. You didn't complain at the meadow earlier. I could carry you in my arms like I did yesterday or you can climb on my back, either way it's the only way to get where we need to do in a reasonable time."

Edward flexed his jaw and rolled his eyes. I had to admit that I was quite enjoying him squirm. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and jumped up when I shrugged at him. As soon as I was sure he was on I set off. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I could barely feel his weight against my shoulders.

It didn't take long to run deep into the forest. My senses were hit by a whole range of scents. As we reached a clearing, I stopped to allow Edward to step down.

"I miss the exhilaration of a good run," he groaned.

"It's really quite pleasurable," I agreed.

Edward held his arms out and I greedily obliged. He held on to me for a few silent moments.

"Do your senses still work?"

Edward was silent for a moment, clearly considering his answer.

"I can still pick up the scents and tell them apart. I can still tell that nearby there are dozens of rabbits, 3 or 4 deer and 1 mountain lion, but they don't appeal. My throat burns, but my mind and body repel at the idea."

I tried to fathom how that must feel. _What must it be like to still recognise the scents that assault our senses and to still feel the burn and desire, but to have something fighting against those base instincts. _ I gave up.

"Will you be okay?"

"I've grown used to the inner conflict, right now my excitement of seeing you hunt is overriding every other feeling that I have."

I helped Edward to a nearby tree, he leant against the thick sturdy trunk and I did my best to forget that he was there. Crouching down near to a thin patch of earth I gave myself over to my senses. As soon as I did, I was able to focus on the scents and the thirst.

I soon became transfixed with the scent of a deer. I felt my nostrils flaring and my lips curled up at the corners, I heard the guttural snarl coming from deep within as I took off at high speed, keen to catch my prey. Capturing the deer was easy. I carried it, struggling against me with futility back towards the clearing so that Edward could watch me.

First I snapped its neck and then I quickly sunk my teeth in, savouring the warm flood of fresh blood. After I was done, I was still thirsty and I felt the urge to impress Edward. I took off again. I ran deeper into the forest, this time searching for a specific scent. Soon enough I found it and moments later I was back in the clearing, dragging a mountain lion behind me by its tail.

It was furious with me, its jaws were snapping trying to catch my arm and its paws were scrabbling, but it was simply no match for me. I straddled its back and pinned it to the ground. I then sunk my teeth into its neck and savoured the blood. The thrill of the struggle and the knowledge that Edward was watching had an odd effect on me and I felt strangely excited.

Once I had drained the mountain lion dry I stood up, dusted myself off and swung around back towards Edward. I had intentionally avoided his eye contact during my hunt, the sight I was met with was equal parts disturbing and amusing.

Edward was no longer standing, he was slumped on the floor against the tree, he didn't seem especially weak, but he had acquired a friend. On Edwards lap was a small rabbit that had allowed him to hold it with one hand, and stroke it with the other.

As I approached, the rabbit clearly sensed the danger from me, its ears pricked up and it froze solid. I watched as Edward tried to hold onto it, but he was simply too weak - even against such a small docile creature. The rabbit quickly scrambled away and I didn't know whether to be repentant or amused.

"Well... what do you know? It sensed no danger from me. I wonder if it was my lack of smell or whether it knew just how weak and useless my body is." Edward joked, without humour.

"I don't know, but that was so strange to watch."

"I tried to keep a hold of it for you, in case you were still thirsty, but …" Edward raised his hands in front of him trying to make the point.

"So, how was it? Watching me hunt?"

"I don't think I can explain how it made me feel. You were so good at it and I thought I would spend my time battling against watching and wanting to step in and save you, but I didn't. I was even impressed by how you handled the mountain lion, but really, you shouldn't play with your food."

We both laughed. He clearly knew that I was showing off a little, just for his benefit.

I was pleased that Edward had enjoyed himself. We stayed out in the forest for a few hours. Every so often a creature would appear, it would look at Edward without fear, but then it would look at me and run. It was such a strange sight.

I could sense when Edward's body had had enough. His movements became sluggish and his verbal responses were dulled.

"Right, let's get back. We can do something else tomorrow. Maybe we can get in your need for a fast drive."

Edward didn't even argue with me. I helped him stand up and after a moment of contemplation, I decided that I didn't trust his arms to be able to hold onto me until we got back so I carried him in my arms.

As we travelled to the house his eyes closed and his body stilled again. Only the all too familiar tremors gave me any comfort.

As we reached the door it was already open and Alice was stood by the stairs. She smiled at me as I carried him upstairs.


	10. Chapter 9: Fast ride to surprise

**Chapter 9: Fast ride to surprise**

**2****nd**** September 2009**

**Bella P.O.V.**

It took Edward much longer to rest this time. However, when his eyes did flip open, he seemed to be in reasonably high spirits. He was quite happy to spend some time with Esme, giving me time to get changed.

It was quite late in the afternoon, when I descended the stairs. I could hear Edward laughing. The noise filled me with happiness. I found him sat by Esme and her face was lit up in a smile too.

"You sound in a good mood." I said to them both.

"We were just reminiscing over some old memories," Edward replied, his face still filled with a smile.

Alice came bounding into the room with Rosalie, who was dangling some car keys. Both Alice and Rosalie flashed me frustratingly smug grins, before turning their attention back to Edward.

"So I hear you miss driving fast. Well Rosalie here, is going to take you and Bella out for a drive." Alice spoke.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

Rosalie and Alice shared a conspiratorial look, which I did my best not to respond to.

"Well Rosalie has a few routes in mind but we wouldn't want to bore you with the details. Needless to say that there will be ample opportunity for high speeds and a few good places to stop for any rests should they be needed."

Edward stood up and joined me; eager to enjoy the drive. He didn't appear to have any of the suspicions that I had with my family and I decided not to ruin his experience. We followed Rosalie out to the garage and she let Edward choose which vehicle he'd prefer.

Edward contemplated the decision for what seemed like an eternity. He and Rosalie discussed the pros and cons of each of the vehicles, none of which interested me. Eventually he settled for Rosalie's BMW.

I got into the back seat and insisted Edward sit in the passenger seat to enjoy the full experience and without any further delay we were off.

Rosalie was clearly in her element as we sped along a whole range of roads. I watched as the landscapes blurred on their way past. I paid little attention to where we were going, I just took pleasure in seeing the smile on Edwards face - he was clearly exhilarated by the drive.

After a lengthy drive we stopped off in Olympia. Rosalie refuelled the car and we took a while to sit and watch the world go by. Edward went through one of his tired stages and we laid him out on the back seat to rest for a while.

As Edward rested Rosalie and I sat on the bonnet of her car. We held bottles of water in our hands, to try and blend in with the tourists, but they remained untouched. We sat and watched in relative silence, the hustle and bustle of the town. As the town got quieter I went to check on Edward, he was still so still and I didn't want to disturb him.

"We've got plenty of time yet," Rosalie assured me.

"Time for what?" I asked.

Rosalie looked away from me, suddenly intent on watching a young couple and their children enjoying a walk.

"For getting back to Forks," she responded nonchalantly.

"What's Alice got planned?" I pressed.

Rosalie flashed me a grin and shook her head.

"I have no idea what you mean." She said, but I didn't believe her.

We settled back into an easy silence and continued to watch and wait. Eventually I heard Edward stir.

"Hey!" I called.

"Hey!" he responded meekly.

"Why don't you join Edward on the backseat, Bella?"

Edward seemed to like that idea and I didn't hesitate, I joined him in the backseat and he lay against me as Rosalie exited the town.

As soon as she was out on to the open road she put her foot down and we were at high speed again. Edward sat up to enjoy the experience more and I could sense the pleasure this was giving Edward and that made me happy. In no time at all, we were back in Forks.

Edward was contently looking out the window as Rosalie passed the exit to the house. As she continued to drive through the town and out onto the 110 towards the reservation, I caught Rosalie smirking at me in the rear view mirror.

It didn't take long before Edward started to recognise the road, I felt him tense as we drove closer towards the boundary line. As we got closer I felt the car slow down.

Rosalie took one last look at me in her mirror and drove over the boundary line. The moment she did, I felt Edward getting even more restless beside me.

"Rosalie! What are you doing?" He yelled.

"Fulfilling wishes," she said.

Edward was suddenly looking all around, clearly worried for any signs of trouble, but there were none. We were heading towards First Beach. I was sure of it.

As we got closer I could see bright lights ahead of me. Edward could see something too, but it made him more agitated, I was worried he'd wear himself out.

Turning my body to face him I placed my hands on either side of his face and kept him there till our eyes met.

"Edward, I don't know the details yet but I am sure we're in no danger. I am also pretty sure you're annoying, yet wonderful sisters have had a hand in this... So please, relax!"

Edward fidgeted for a while longer, but soon did as he was told.

Rosalie brought her car to a stop as a set of headlights approached. I strained to see who it was, but soon enough I recognised Jacob's car. As he and Sam got out of the car I almost howled with laughter, much to Edward's confusion.

Alice had clearly gotten to them as they were both in pristine suits. They looked so out of place and uncomfortable in them. As Edward looked over at me he was completely bewildered.

"What on earth is going on?"

" I think one of your … sorry, I mean one of our wishes is about to be fulfilled."

Rosalie rolled down the windows as Jacob and Sam approached. I tried not to laugh as he pulled at the shirt collar, which was snug around his neck.

"Hey Bella! Hey Edward!" he said happily.

"Hey Jacob, you look… great!" I responded with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

"Don't lie, Bella! I look like a fool but Alice can be pretty persuasive when she wants to be. She even got to Leah!"

"Oh!"

Edward had relaxed a little after our casual exchange and was relaxing in the seat next to me.

"Ok, Edward - Sam and I need to borrow you for a few minutes."

As Jacob spoke I could feel the uncertainty and tension rise in Edward.

"It's okay, you can trust them. Everything will be fine. I promise."

I got out of the car and helped Edward out. As he was led to the other vehicle by Sam I stopped Jacob.

"Jake, please be gentle on him."

Jacob folded his arms across his chest, shook his head slowly and huffed.

"Bella.. I have imagined taking my frustrations out on him countless times after he left you, but I promise you that I won't do anything. It's no fun if the other person can't throw any punches… or take them. Besides, your sister Alice scares me and she has us under strict orders and we've got deadlines to meet."

Suddenly his face erupted in a big smile and he ruffled my hair.

"Hurry along now Bella - You are about to get the Alice treatment too."

"Thanks for the warning Jake and thanks for all of this."

Jacob pulled me in for a big bear hug and then I watched as he ran off to the car. I waved at Edward, who looked completely uncomfortable sandwiched between Jacob and Sam.

'I love you,' I mouthed.

'I love you too,' he mouthed back.

I watch as Jacob and Sam drive away from us then I rejoin Rosalie. She barely waits for me to close the door, before she is speeding towards the beach. The car screeches to a halt and my door is pulled open. Alice is stood with a frightening array of objects in her arms.

As I get out of the car I don't have the time to take in any of the details, because I am whisked away into a nearby tent. Inside the tent I am joined by; Alice, Rosalie and Esme, all ready to work on my hair and make-up - and Leah, Emily and Angela - who are tending to my dress.

Leah and Emily excuse themselves, with excuses of needing to tend to something outside. I barely acknowledge them as they go, as I am too stunned. I suddenly wonder if this blessing would be as straight forward as Alice suggested .

My eyes flash to Alice, who is paying Angela no attention. As I look back at Angela she seems to see my confusion.

"It's okay Bella, I know."

"You know…" I pause and study Angela warily. I wonder just what she means by that.

"Bella... My boyfriend is a Werewolf. I spend a large majority of my time at the reservation with the rest of the Pack and it didn't take long to work out that they weren't the only ones with secrets. Once your mind is open to Werewolves, it's open to anything. I have known for a while. Embry was easy to trick into telling me the truth."

Feeling a little more convinced that she knows I don't know whether to be relieved or annoyed at the fact that she could be in danger, by knowing of our existence.

"Why didn't you tell me before? It's dangerous for you to know!"

"It's okay Bella! No-one outside of the reservation knows that I know. Besides it doesn't change anything; you are still my best friend."

"Thank you Angela. That means a lot but you must never tell anyone about us."

"Of course I wouldn't! I would never do anything to get you all into trouble." She responded, clearly a little offended.

"That's not what I meant. Angela, there are others of our kind that don't like humans…"

Angela's hand flies up into the air and I stop what I was saying.

"Save it Bella, I've already had that talk with Alice. I don't need reminding besides whom outside of the tribe and your family would I ever talk to it about? My dad is a religious man. Can you imagine how he'd react if I claimed to personally know Vampires and Werewolves? I'd be sectioned immediately! I'm not about to go telling anyone. I've kept the secret for 4 months from you, so how hard can it be."

Relieved of her acceptance and reassurance of her ability to keep a secret, we hug and the tension leaves the room. The easy silence is interrupted as Alice claps her hands together and barks orders at everyone.

Within no time at all I am standing in a stunning gown. It's a gown I have never seen before, but it suits Edward's style perfectly. My make-up is subtle and my hair is done beautifully. Delicate curls fall by the side of my face and beautiful flowers adorn my head.

Alice whisks me in front of a mirror so that I can study my reflection . I barely recognise myself. I see the others standing around me and they all look so beautiful.

"Alice, how on earth did you arrange all of this…"

"It's okay my beautifully naïve Bella. I have been planning weddings for all of my family for a long time. I enjoy it... it's what I am good at. Just do me a favour and enjoy it. This is as much for you as it is for Edward."

"Thank you Alice."

"Thank you Everyone"

After hugging them all, I take a deep breath, ready to see my Edward.


	11. Chapter 10: Special blessing

**Chapter 10: Special Blessing**

**2nd/3****rd**** September 2009**

**Bella P.O.V**

Leah Clearwater re-enters the tent and I barely recognise her. I had been too preoccupied by Angela to notice her before. Alice had braided her hair and she was in a beautiful flowing dress, she looked so feminine.

"Quit staring Bella or I'll take it off" she snapped, but her smile betrayed her.

"You look fantastic!"

"Well yeah, I guess I do. Now just wait till you see Edward."

"You've seen him? Is he okay?"

"He's ready and waiting. His face looks like shit, but then again he's a vampire and you all look like shit to me! But, he's still standing and he looks pretty good in a suit..."

I can't help but laugh at Leah. Her personality has never changed, not even after falling for Jacob... It just seemed so wrong now with her looking so lady like; rather than her usual shorts and vest combo.

Leah rushed back out of the tent, taking Angela with her to join the others and everything is ready. Esme and Rosalie give me a kiss on the cheek then head out too, leaving me alone with Alice.

Alice passed me a bunch of flowers and I took one last deep breath; out of habit. I followed Alice outside of the tent and my ears were treated with beautiful music. I didn't recognise the tune, but it sounded like it was being played by a harp. My eyes took in the crowd of people, who had joined us.

Jacob and Leah were near the front with Sam and Emily. Angela and Embry where just behind them and the rest of the pack were near the edges of the aisles and a part of me wondered if they were on guard.

Sue Clearwater was the one playing the harp and she smiled at me warmly as I approached. I had a lot of time for Sue, she had always been a good friend to my dad.

Billy Black was in front of me and he looked regal, even in his wheelchair. I had to work hard at not laughing as I took in all the flowers that were weaved around the wheels of his chair.

Rosalie and Esme were sat directly across from Jacob and the others and they both looked stunning in their dresses.

Then Edward stood up and faced me; and nothing else mattered.

He had been sat in front of Jacob and Sam but rose when he heard me approaching. He wore a stylish suit and his whole face was beaming with joy. The fear that had plastered his face earlier was long gone and his eyes were studying my appearance intently. My pace quickened, but Alice pulled me back and made me slow down.

Eventually after what felt like an eternity, I reached Edward and we stood together, both grinning like fools. Edward took my hands in his and we stared into each other's eyes, barely noticing that the music had stopped and the hum of voices had halted.

When Billy spoke I heard a reverence in his voice that I had never noticed before.

"This is a momentous occasion. Never in our history have we partaken in a celebration with those who were once sworn enemies. Good fortune and grace have brought together our kind with a small number of their kind in what can only be recognised as a growing friendship."

As Billy spoke the words the intimate gathering was abuzz, as Vampire, Werewolf and Tribe member alike agreed fervently with his sentiments.

"It was a surprise I was asked to carry out this blessing, but my own son Jacob convinced me to do it and as I stand in front of Edward and Bella this evening, I am glad that I dismissed my initial reservations and agreed. I believe that this blessing marks a new chapter in our history, one of acceptance and hope for a peaceful coexistence. I only wish absent friends could be here to celebrate with us."

I watched Edward out of the corner of my eye; he was clearly moved by this new information but he stayed rooted to the spot and didn't turn around to look at Jacob. I couldn't resist though and flashed him a brilliant smile, one which he returned fully.

"This evening I exercise my position within the council of this reservation to give my blessing to the union of Edward and Bella. Before I begin, are there any objections."

Silence descends and after a few moments, Billy resumes.

"Love is friendship, sharing and forgiveness. It's loyalty through the good and the bad. Love isn't about perfection; it's about finding contentment with the present, whilst forgetting the past and sharing hope for the future. Love is about working together towards common goals. If you have love, you can deal with anything that life throws at you. This blessing, recognises that Edward and Bella have that love. It recognises that no matter what life throws at them and whatever the future brings, they will always share in the love they have for one another... And that no-one and no-thing can break that bond. Here in front of us all they will cement that bond and tie themselves together."

I am truly moved by Billy's words and from the look on Edwards face so is he. I feel his hand tightening around mind and we share a smile.

"Edward, do you in front of all those gathered here today, promise to love Bella now and forever more?"

"I do!"

"Bella, do you in front of all those gathered here today, promise to love Edward now and forever more?"

"I do!"

"You may now have the opportunity to say a few words. Edward, please go first."

"Bella, before you came into my life my eyes were open, but they did not see. You brightened up my life and filled it with love and joy. I was a fool to run away from it all, thinking I was somehow doing you a favour... but all I did was lose out on precious time together. I never stopped loving you though and every time I feel certain I couldn't possibly love you anymore, you prove me wrong and I feel my love growing. Bella, you are my love, my life, my everything."

My throat felt constricted as I took in his words, his eyes never left mine and there wasn't an ounce of mistruth in what he said.

"Bella…" Billy encouraged.

"Edward, when you came into my life I wasn't looking, but our connection was instant. Our worlds were never meant to collide, but they did and I will never regret that. My life has changed beyond all recognition since then and I am now firmly in your world, but blessed to still be a part of my old one. My love for you was never lessened by distance and will never lessen by time. You complete me."

Billy raised his arms in front of him and spoke with a voice of pure authority.

"I bless the union between you. May nothing tear apart, that which we have seen cement together."

As Billy spoke the words a round of applause and cheer spread throughout the guests. Edward and I leaned together and kissed. The kiss was full of passion and tension and neither of us wanted to stop, but it was me that pulled away first, before Edward ran out of breath.

Our hands held together firmly as we turned to the guests and smiled. Everyone looked genuinely happy for us, even Leah; though as soon a she saw me looking at her, she tried to wipe away the few stray tears that adorned her cheek.

We were led to a large marquee and were seated at a table; The room soon filled with the guests and they took part in the feast with us. We were both totally blown away with the ceremony.

Edward seemed so happy. His hand still grasped my own firmly.

Jacob wheeled Billy over to us and I was overcome with emotion.

"Billy, what you did for us means so much. Thank you!"

Billy grinned and looked almost embarrassed.

"It's my pleasure. I sure wish Charlie could have been here though but I am sure he's looking down on you. "

"Thanks," I responded, not quite sharing the belief that Charlie would have entirely approved of today.

"Mr Black. I'd just like to say what a great honour it was that you agreed to do this for us." Edward said, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Billy motioned for Jacob to move him closer towards Edward and Billy leaned forward and placed his hand on Edwards shoulder.

"First of all, it's Billy. I don't like it when people call me Mr Black. It makes me think I'm old or in trouble, or worst that that, both! Secondly, the honour was mine. I just wish that it could have been in better circumstances…" Billy's voice trailed off, but he didn't need to say anything further.

The party carried on and I sat by Edwards side watching the festivities. After a while Jacob stood up and banged on the table to get everyone's attention and call order to the room.

"It's time for a toast!" He roared.

I watched as the guests were all handed glasses of what looked like red wine. After everyone had received a glass I watched on as Leah and Emily approached our table with a tray of glasses. They proceeded to hand a glass to myself, Alice, Rosalie and Esme. I was confused, but as soon as I had my own glass in my hand I caught the scent. They were filled with animal blood. From the weak scent I'd imagine nothing bigger than a rabbit, but still the sentiment was there.

I watched in awe as Edward was given an empty red glass, which matched the colour of our blood filled glasses. I was beginning to marvel at just how every little detail had been considered and couldn't work out how much of this was Alice and how much was the Pack.

Jacob looked over to our table and winked.

"I propose a toast to Edward and Bella!"

We all took our drinks gladly, Edward held his to his lips and mimicked our movements and soon the room fell back into an easy hum of chatter.

As the night wore on, I could sense that Edward was struggling. Others noticed it too. After a brief conversation with Alice, Rosalie and Esme - in which Esme discretely informed me that Carlisle had tracked the doctor down, but they were biding their time - I explained to them that I was going to take Edward home. We made our excuses to everyone else and slipped away .

Esme, Rosalie and Alice were quite content to stay at the party for a while longer and had promised to help with the clear up.

"We'll be back sometime tomorrow," Alice chimed in.

I read between the lines and realised that they were also giving Edward and I some alone time.


	12. Chapter 11: Unwanted guest

**Chapter 11: Unwanted guest**

**3****rd**** September 2009**

**Bella P.O.V.**

Edward was very still and quiet during the drive home. He was exhausted, but the smile on his face suggested that he was feeling very pleased.

As we pulled up in the garage I didn't bother to tell him we had arrived, I just whisked him out of the car and carried him into the house, up to our room. His eyes flickered open for a few moments, but as they took in the familiarity of our surroundings they closed again.

I had to try hard not to openly react to how much lighter and frail he seemed. He was wasting away and every time I held him, there was less of him to hold.

As I lay by his side I reflected on the enormity of what the tribe had just done for us. After my change I was very grateful to retain my friendship with Jacob and his dad, but today was a move above and beyond my wildest expectations. I was so very touched by their kindness towards us.

I admired the view outside the window. The night was still and calm and I felt oddly at peace. Edward remained still for a few hours. It was in the early hours of the morning when his eyes opened and his energy was slightly renewed.

"Sorry!" her murmured.

"What are you saying sorry for?"

Edward rolled over and adjusted his body so he could see me better.

"Everything! For being such a fool, for running away after your birthday, for getting myself in such a mess whilst trying to be human for you, for being too weak and useless to truly enjoy you now that I am back." Edward's words came out thick and fast as they did whenever when he was worked up and struggling to explain his thoughts clearly.

I couldn't take it any longer. I pressed my fingers against his lips and held it there until he stopped trying to speak.

"Shhhh!" I soothed.

Edward was still worked up, but he stopped trying to talk.

"Let's just enjoy each other. What happened in the past has passed and I still have faith in Carlisle. I am sure that he, Emmett and Jasper won't give up until they have found the answer or explored very avenue.. "

Edward nodded reluctantly and we embraced. Our lips met and we gave in to passion. It didn't take long for Edward's breathing to become laboured but he resisted pulling back and I had to admit, I was too greedy to pull back too. A sudden noise from downstairs was what finally forced us to stop.

"Maybe the others are back early?" Edward suggested. Though as with the rest of his abilities his hearing wasn't quite as good as it had been and I could only hear footsteps, but no voices.

Sitting up, I paused. Taking time to listen and the more I listened, the more I was convinced that it wasn't the others. I would have heard them speaking if it was.

Edward sat up with me too, but I pushed him back down gently. It was clear that my reaction was concerning him and I could see his body tensing.

"It's most likely nothing, wait here whilst I go take a look."

I could feel Edward trying to sit up again, but I shot him a warning glance and he reluctantly stilled.

"I'll be back in a minute," I promised.

Leaving the room I moved cautiously;listening for further noises. An errant floorboard caught my attention, I immediately moved towards it. The only creaking floorboard was in Carlisle's office. Esme had wanted to take care of it several times, but Carlisle insisted it gave the place character.

Pushing the door open my eyes locked on to the intruder, Laurent...

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Oh come now, what sort of hello is this? I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I would pop in. I still owe you for Victoria and imagine my delight when I realised that you and him were alone in the house. I still owe him for James. Oh this should be fun."

The distinct noise of Edward moving got my attention and unfortunately Laurent's too. I stood by the doorway as Laurent looked on smugly.

"Bella?" Edward's voice called out.

"It's okay Edward. Go back to our room, I won't be long."

I ignored Laurent as he laughed.

Edward was obviously not fooled as he was suddenly behind me. As soon as his eyes fell on Laurent I could feel him trying to move forward. I put my arm over his chest to restrain him. Edward halted but I could sense the conflict he was going through. I looked over to his for a split second and his entire attention was focused on Laurent. I had to think fast, this could turn ugly.

"I see who wears the trousers in your relationship." Laurent mocked.

Edward tried to lunge forward, but I held him back.

"Don't be stupid Edward, besides he's mine. I still owe him for my father ." I snapped.

"Your Father? You compare your worthless human father to two vampires? He was nothing compared to them! Nothing!" Laurent snarled.

Now it was Edward trying to hold me back, but he just didn't have the strength. As I moved towards Laurent; he just laughed, welcoming our fight.

"Bella, Please!" Edward called out, his voice cracking with fear.

"What's this? " Laurent said, in a mocking tone.

I took up a defensive pose in front of Edward and kept my eyes firmly on Laurent.

I could see his eyes scrutinising Edward's appearance: his pallid skin tone, his green eyes; his weak voice and his unsteady stance. I wish Edward had done as he was told and waited in our room.

"What's this? I don't believe I have ever seen anything like this." Laurent took a slight step forward before pausing again.

"Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing? A sick vampire? Whatever next. Still I guess this just makes my job easier, albeit less fun... You know, I've been watching you all for days, watching and waiting. When I saw his return, and I overheard discussions of what he'd been through I didn't believe it. I even considered that it was some sort of trap, that perhaps you knew I was nearby and you were trying to trick me into coming closer but I am glad that I bided my time. What a fool he was to try and throw it all away for you. Still it looks like he's paying for it and I will look forward to finishing the job."

Laurent inched forward again and my instincts took over, I crouched down in front of Edward, ready to attack.

"You will not touch him," I warned.

"Oh, but I will... And I will enjoy every moment of it!"

I could feel Edward's body pressed up against me and I tried not to react to the tremors coursing through it.

"Do whatever you want with me, but leave her alone!" Edward pleaded.

_The fool,_ I thought to myself as I heard Edward offering himself in my place.

Laurent laughed, his tone was mocking and full of scorn.

"As if you have any say in this matter."

Edward's body sagged against mine. Laurent's words had obviously deflated him.

As the tension in the room built, I had to think fast, if Laurent got to Edward he had no chance, his body was too weak to withstand any real damage. Time seemed to slow down, but it didn't make it any easier.

As Laurent made his move, I did my best to block it. He wasn't able to get a hold of Edward but he did manage to push him. I grimaced as I heard Edwards body slamming against the wall behind him. I didn't have chance to check on him as Laurent was readying himself for another attack.

I was beginning to panic, I couldn't protect Edward and beat Laurent by myself. As Laurent let out a guttural snarl and readied to attack again I braced myself; whatever happened I had to take the brunt of it as Edward had no chance.

Suddenly we were interrupted by smashing of glass - from behind Laurent - and two wolves entered the room. I recognised Jacob immediately and it looked like he was being accompanied by Leah.

My face broke out in a smile as Laurent took in the wolves; it was clear that he was feeling panic mixed with confusion as I didn't react with fear. I couldn't resist rubbing it in a little.

"Hey Jake!" I called out to Jacob, who let out a raspy chuckle; it was clear that he knew what I was doing.

"What is this?" Laurent snarled, backing away from the wolves.

"This isn't the end of this!" he snapped. In a flash he was running to the broken window, he didn't look back in my direction, before he disappeared through it. Though he was closely followed by Jacob and Leah.

I rushed to Edward's side, he was not moving and his arm looked like it was at an odd angle; the only hint I had that he was ok was the slight tremors that his body. I can do nothing, but wait, cradling him in my arms. I just hope that the damage is not too severe.

I have no idea how much time has passed before we're joined with Jacob and Leah in their human form.

"Is he?..." Leah began to say.

I shake my head but I study him to reassure myself and I am rewarded by one of his tremors.

"I won't know how bad the damage is till he's rested some more."

Jacob and Leah, sink to their knees and I can feel them staring at Edward.

"Did you get Laurent?"

"Sorry Bella... He got away but the rest of the Pack are patrolling, so he won't get anywhere near the house again."

I knew as soon as I had asked that it wouldn't have been that easy but I was still grateful that they had tried.

Alice, Esme and Rosalie soon burst into the room, obviously worried.

"Oh Bella!" Alice called out.

Alice went on to explain that she'd had a vision and Jacob and Leah had already been nearby. I half listened as they chatted away, but I couldn't take my eyes away from Edward.

After a while Jacob and Leah left, they needed to go and touch base with the rest of the Pack. Our family dipped in and out of the room, but I refused to move. I lost all track of time as I sat and waited.

It was light outside when Edward roused. His eyes opened and locked on mine straight away, for a brief second I thought perhaps he was okay... but then he tried to move. The yells that came from him cut through me like a knife.

We were quickly joined by the Esme, Alice and Rosalie who had heard him and they looked just as worried as I felt.

I didn't know what to do I was scared to move him. Edward seemed to be battling with the pain but he soon managed to get control of himself. The yelling stopped and through ragged breaths he managed to explain to me where the pain was.

From what he said and from the vision Alice had, it seemed that when Edward slammed against the wall his ribs and shoulder were broken. For the rest of us, we'd heal within seconds but with the venom of Edward's body being attacked, the healing would take much longer.


	13. Chapter 12: Waiting Game

**Chapter 12: Waiting Game**

**4****th**** September 2009**

**Bella P.O.V.**

It was a while before Edward could be moved but as soon as he could be we relocated him to the sofa in the living room. Alice couldn't foresee any more visits from Laurent and the pack took up regular guards outside of the house.

Edward was never alone for a minute; one of us was always by his side. His body was still affected by Laurent's attack. He could sit up now, but standing was another matter, every time he tried to insist he was fine, Alice would shake her head and we'd make him stay where he was.

The pack continued to patrol the house. They were being far too good to us but Jacob had said a number of times that they were fine about it and actually excited about the chance to destroy at least one vampire around here.

As the day wore on Edward became more agitated. He was still trying to stand and still being told not to and he was finding it increasingly difficult to be compliant.

"Edward, Please!" I groaned as he tried again to stand.

The anguish on his face was heartbreaking but I couldn't risk him hurting himself any further, not when our time was so limited anyway.

"I just wish my body would heal. I wanted to spend what time we had left together doing more than this... Now I'm just useless! I can't wipe the image of Laurent out of my mind. He could have killed you and all that I could have done was watch!"

I tried to be patient and understanding, but now Edward was irritating me.

"Look, Edward, we have to deal with what we've got. Laurent won't get anywhere near us, not with the Pack out there and if he did, you are in no fit state to do anything. I know you want to be the big man and be able to take him down and protect me, but look what happened last night! He almost killed you so please... whilst I fully understand how frustrating this is for you, can we spend what time we have focusing on what we can do together, rather than agonising on what we can't?"

As soon as I finished speaking I worried that I had gone too far or been too harsh, I could see the pain etched on his face as he considered how to respond. I then watched as his face mellowed and he looked almost guilty.

"You're right, I'm sorry!" he murmured.

We spent a few awkward moments finding a position that didn't cause him undue pain and enjoyed the closeness to each other whilst we could. I have no idea how long passed, but it was nice to be so close to each other in a comfortable silence.

Esme, Rosalie and Alice burst into the room a little while later. Esme had her phone in her hand and a smile on her face. Alice was positively bursting at the seams. I sat up gently and turned toward Edward, but his eyes were closed and he seemed to be in one of his down moments.

"News?" I asked.

"The best!" Esme assured.

I sat up and moved away from Edward gently and urged her to continue, she never even got the chance. Alice was unstoppable.

"They're on their way back! With the Doctor. They think they have a solution!" She blurted out.

I was in turmoil, part of me was excited and felt hope for the first time in a while but part of me refused to get my hopes up too much. I was also very wary of the fact that they were bringing the Doctor back with them and after what he did to Edward... Well, I wasn't at all sure how I would be able to control myself around him.

"Bella, my visions are sketchy... but for the first time since Edward returned to us I have had a glimpse of a future that may be okay."

I have never had reason to doubt Alice and I refused to start now. All I could do now was wait and prepare Edward for what was to come next.

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has put the story on alert and added as a favourite and thanks to those who have reviewed so far. I love reviews, so keep them coming. The next few chapters will be from Carlisle's p.o.v. They start from the time they left Edward to search for answers, so it dips back a little timing wise and then brings everything back upto the current timeline again. The story then goes back to Edward p.o.v. I did consider doing alternate Bella/Carlisle chapters, but I figured that it wouldn't give a full sense of what each set of characters went through ;)**_

_**Caroline x**_


	14. Chapter 13: The search is on

**Chapter 13: The search is on**

**30th/31****st**** August 2009**

**Carlisle P.O.V**

Leaving the house with Emmett and Jasper was one of the hardest things I could do. Part of me wanted to be with Edward, to use my years of training as a Doctor to help him but without understanding what this monster had done to my son, I had little chance of helping him.

Emmett drove us to the airport and Jasper made arrangements for when we arrived, while I took the time to consult the notes I had taken over the years over the Vampiric condition.

I looked, in hope that I could fathom some insight as to what could attack the venom in the way that Edward described. As we boarded the plane I was none the wiser and I spent the journey searching in vain. Intermittently pausing to join in the conversation with Emmett and Jasper, who were discussing where we should start and how we should search.

By the time we arrived in Mexico and booked into our hotel I was mentally fatigued. I'd scoured my notes for hours and had come up with nothing. Emmett and Jasper tried on several occasions to persuade me to stop, but I refused.

Eventually I felt overwhelmingly tired and complied with their request; it wasn't until we were out of the hotel - with my notes left behind - that I realised that Jasper has used his gift to persuade me. A part of me was annoyed, but if truth were told I wasn't getting anywhere with my notes anyway.

We took a walk around the area, getting a feel for the place. We spotted a fair few nomads around and they seemed to recognise what we were, but they kept to themselves.

After we checked out the main area, we ventured to the less populated areas to scope out some hunting grounds. It wasn't the sources we were used to, but there were certainly options.

As we made our way back to our hotel I gave Esme a quick call to check on Edward and keep her up to date with what we were doing.

As I hung up, my heart was heavy. I wish I was there with them, but I had to try at least.

"They are taking care of Edward, it seems Bella is trying to fill his time with fulfilling his wishes. It also seems like he keeps having to recharge. His body shuts down for a while... it's unsettling from what Esme says, but they're adapting." I informed Emmett and Jasper.

I watched my sons battle with their emotions. Their faces flashed with a range of emotions. Jasper seemed to get a hold of himself but Emmett started pacing. Silently, he was raging and he was starting to attract unwanted attention.

Looking over to Jasper I needn't say anything, he simply nodded and I felt a feeling of ease spread through me. I watched as Emmett grew calmer and calmer. The people nearby stopped paying so much attention and after a few moments Emmett was calm enough to be in control of his own emotions. I felt when Jasper ceased using his gift.

"Sorry," Emmett muttered.

Placing my hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze I shook my head.

"I think we all share the feeling of desperation and anger, Emmett. Don't apologise, just use your energy to help track this man down."

"What will we do when we find him?" he asked.

Dark thoughts entered my mind and I considered how I would extract the information I needed, but I quickly shook that away. I must not forget who I am.

"Best case scenario we can reason with him, or we find that he has notes detailing what he did. Worst case scenario we have to make him give us the information we need."

I didn't fail to notice the look of surprise on their faces. Neither had ever heard me like this, but, Edward was my priority, I needed to do whatever it takes.

After a few hours in our hotel room discussing plans, we ventured back out, this time seeking out nomads to see if they had heard of this Doctor. The first few we come across have no interest in speaking, I think the fact that the three of us are together puts them off.

We decide to split up. We agree to meet up in a local bar in an hour and see what we've come up with. Once I am on my own it is far easier to be able to find nomads willing to talk.

The first few have no idea of this supposed Doctor death but I find one who not only talks but gives me some hope of a lead.

"Yeah I heard about this Doctor... What is it to you?" He asked.

"He has hurt someone very important to me and I need to find him for answers."

The nomad looked around, seemingly unsure of his surroundings or the possibility of others nearby.

"Meet me back here in 10 minutes, I know someone who can help."

"Okay!"

As he disappeared I paced around, could this really be a lead? I quickly called Jasper and filled him in, but he was much more cautious. He warned me to be careful; I let him know where I was and hung up.

I stood and waited, as time ticked on I started to wonder if I had been had. Ten minutes had come and gone, but I was reticent to leave.

Time continued to pass and finally I gave up but just as I was ready to leave the nomad returned.

"Ah, you're still here..." He said.

"Of course, I said I would stay."

"What was your name again?"

"Cullen, Carlisle Cullen, and you?"

"Romano."

"Well Romano, where is your friend?"

I watched as Romano grinned and looked behind him into the darkened alleyway.

"First of all... I didn't say I was bringing a friend but I do have a few people who want to see you."

I watched on as three others joined us. I couldn't help but think back to the phone call I had had with Jasper. He had warned me to be careful, what a fool I was not to listen.

"I don't suppose the four of you are all here to help me are you?"

Romano cackled and so did his entourage.

"See, the thing is Carlisle... You may be one of us, but you are different too. I can't say any of us have ever come across one of us with golden eyes before. You swan around like you're a human and from the way you are dressed it's clear that you are in the money and well... We want some of that."

"I see," I replied simply.

I watched out of the corner of my eyes as the others shifted 'til they formed a circle around me. I calculated my options. I was out of my depth but just as I started to worry that this wouldn't end well, I heard the heavy footsteps, then the scent of Emmett.

Romano looked towards Emmett and back to me,; I could see by his reaction that he was wary of how big Emmett was... I couldn't help but smile.

"Let me introduce you. This is my son, Emmett."

"Son?" Romano spat.

As Emmett joined us I watched as he flexed his muscles. I wondered whether Jasper would be joining us too.

Romano's demeanour had changed somewhat; it was clear that the confidence he had a few moments ago had waned.

Emmett and I were shoulder to shoulder now and I was thankful I didn't feel quite so exposed just now.

"So, do any of you have any information for us? I'm sure Carlisle has filled you in with who we're looking for." Emmett boomed.

A tense silence filled the area as Romano looked around at the others and back to us.

"No? …" Emmett continued. He stood by my side; his thick muscular arms crossed in front of his chest and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something? Were you not here to help my father?"

Romano finally broke the silence and laughed.

"Who do you both think you are? You come into our territory and walk around like you own the place. You walk around asking questions and seeking out this Doctor Death... and now you stand here mocking me. Do you really think this night will end well for you both?"

I'm hesitant to respond. We have too much at stake to waste time like this and even with Emmett's brute strength we are still outnumbered.

"I..." I begin, but Emmett's voice cuts me off.

"My brother is dying and the sick son of a bitch that did it, is around here somewhere. I don't care whose territory this is, we need to find him and find a way to help my brother. I'm in a horrible mood right now and if you all want to help relieve me of some of my attention, then be my guest. You have two choices; get out of our way and let us get on with our search or continue to threaten us and see what I am capable of when I'm angry."

Even I flinched at Emmett's words and tone of voice. His temper was often his undoing, but perhaps in our current situation it was needed.

Silence hung in the air again and Emmett and Romano were staring intently at each other. Romano signalled for one of his men to advance and I watched on in horror as the man prepared to attack Emmett.

"I got this one, Carlisle."

I watched as the vampire pounced at Emmett and I listened to the sickening crunch as the force of Emmett's fist impacted the Vampires chest. The vampire was flung high into the air and landed against a nearby wall.

Romano looked angry and signalled to two of the other vampires, by this time Emmett looked like he was having fun.

"You asked for it..." he warned, playfully.

Seconds later he had sent the other two vampires flying, in the same direction as the other one. Now it was Romano and his one remaining vampire and the two of us.

Romano appeared to be much less confident now. He was bouncing from one foot to the other, his eyes were wild and he was deep in thought; calculating his next move.

"Had enough?" Emmett teased.

I raised my hand to quiet Emmett down and turned back to Romano.

"It doesn't have to be this way. We mean you no harm. We just came here looking for the doctor who we spoke about."

Romano seemed torn, his eyes darted from Emmett, to me and back to Emmett.

"I have no idea who this Doctor is. Stay off our patch and don't draw attention to us." Romano yelled.

He backed up with the remaining vampire, who was standing. They paid no attention to the three who laid crumpled on the floor, by the wall that Emmett had send them flying towards.

As we walked out of the alleyway past them, we were unsurprised to see that all 3 were fully conscious, but they cringed away from Emmett as we passed. It would appear that they didn't want another round with Emmett.

As we made our way towards the bar to meet Jasper, I couldn't help but feel relieved. First day of searching and I almost get destroyed.

"Thank you, Emmett."

"Don't mention it. I actually rather enjoyed that. Sorry I took so long... when Jasper called in my help I had to find a way to get to you, without drawing too much attention to myself. "

"Did you get any leads?" I asked.

"None! I couldn't get many to talk to me. I think I look too menacing to the ones I tried to talk to. The only one that did talk to me said that he'd heard rumours of a Doctor Death but he thought that it was just something the other nomads spread around to protect their patches. It seems that this whole area is earmarked by one nomad, or gang of nomads."

As we entered the bar, I couldn't help notice that in this particular bar the Vampire to Human ratio was pretty even. This was quite interesting. In all of my years I wasn't used to being in places where such a high quantity of our kind - who did not belong to a coven - would socialise together.

We ordered drinks from the bar to try and blend in and we found Jasper in a side booth, holding his own bottle of untouched beer.

"Anything?" I asked.

Jasper nodded his head, his eyes darted around the room and he pointed towards his ears and shook his head. I nodded to show I understood and looked down as he slid a piece of paper over to me.

_I have a lead, but he's a little reluctant to talk. I need to work on him tonight. You and Emmett head back to the hotel and I'll touch base with you soon. I will be careful. _

I slid it over to Emmett to read and we slipped out of the booth and left Jasper at the bar. We didn't speak until we arrived back at our hotel.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" I asked Emmett.

"He has more experience of fighting than any of us; he is used to this type of environment. I am sure he'll be fine." Emmett responded.

I sat at a table and buried my head in my notes again, searching in vain for an answer, whilst Emmett surfed the television channels. Both of us finding something to occupy ourselves with whilst we waited for news from Jasper.


	15. Chapter 14: Paging doctor death

**Chapter 14: Paging doctor death**

**1st/2****nd**** September 2009**

**Carlisle P.O.V.**

Time seemed to pass so slowly. Emmett received a text from Jasper asking us to lay low for a while; he couldn't go into details but ended the text with trust me.

My research led us nowhere. This was torture; I was starting to doubt that I'd made the right choice. I should be with Edward, while there is still time.

Emmett was like a caged bull and the tension rolling off him was unbearable. He was struggling the most with all of this and he needed some sort of release.

I called in to Esme a number of times and she kept me updated. It seemed that Bella was making good on a number of Edwards wishes, which was keeping him occupied.

On my latest call to her I was most surprised by what she told me. It seemed that Bella's strange friendship with Jacob had been a blessing. The Pack were keeping an eye out for my family, something I would never have imagined possible to ask for.

More, much more than that, Billy Black had agreed to conduct a special blessing ceremony for Edward and Bella. I couldn't quite fathom the generosity of such an action, but since the death of Charlie, the tension between my family and the Pack had been lessened. We were united in a common grief and we had also shared a common enemy in Laurent.

"I wish I could be there," I told Esme.

"I know and I wish you could be too but you are where you need to be. Don't lose focus Carlisle, you still have time. Just don't forget you promised Edward to return in 5 days if you ..." her voice trailed off and she didn't need to finish her sentence.

The word 'failure' had never been as potent as it was now.

It was a few hours later when I heard my phone ringing. I expected it to be Esme with news from home, but it was a number I didn't recognise.

"Hello, this is Carlisle Cullen." I answered formally, in case it was one of my Doctor colleagues.

"Carlisle, it's Jasper..." Replied a muted voice.

"Do you have news?"

"Yes, I have found him. I managed to convince a nomad that I was seeking a way out of this life. It seems this nomad is a lookout for the Doctor. I've made arrangements to meet with him, to discuss me going through the process."

My mind raced, I wasn't entirely comfortable with this. I was already facing losing one son, I couldn't bear losing another. Jasper seemed to pick up on my silence.

"... I am being careful, I promise. I don't want to risk losing him, so we need to be cautious. We're meeting at 11am tomorrow at 'The Red Bull' a bar just on the outskirts of town. He likes to meet somewhere public. Whatever you do, don't come in, but be close. I'll call you when I arrive, but I won't be speaking... I will leave the phone in my pocket so you can listen in. Follow my scent to where we go. If we get separated I will do my best to incapacitate him and inform you of our location... shit, someone is coming I have to go!"

With that the line went dead. I didn't like this one bit. I filled Emmett in and he seemed pleased with the thought of getting some action.

We decided to go hunting as we needed to be strong and focussed for our meeting with the Doctor tomorrow. I needed to stay in control of my urges. I needed this man alive in order to get the help we needed. I also needed to be strong enough to control my sons, especially Emmett. If any of us were likely to lose control and lash out, it was him. He's wound so tightly it wouldn't take much for him to explode right now.

We travelled a great distance to find ample prey. We fed more than we would normally do, I can't remember a time I had gorged myself so much. I felt uncomfortably full for a while afterwards. I had come too adept at pushing myself for longer times without feeding that this felt like a binge.

We checked out the location of 'The Red Bull' and found a number of vantage points that would allow us to remain hidden as well as track Jasper and the Doctor. I took to the rooftops and Emmett remained on the ground, but well out of sight.

We sat and waited. I watched on as the streets became busy with people; Emmett was well hidden in the shadows but up on the rooftops I was fully exposed to the sun. I had to make sure I was well covered to minimise the glinting. It felt like an eternity before I saw my son, Jasper. He looked a mess, but I wonder if that was a part of his cover. I fought against the urge to rush down and save him. As he went inside the building I waited.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I answered it. I didn't speak, I could hear the hum of people and I sat and listened intently.

"You must be Jasper?" Came the voice; the voice sounded so normal, so human.

"Yes, thank you for agreeing to see me."

I listened to the tone of Jaspers voice and I was now more than convinced that his appearance was part of his act... he was putting on a distinct accent, far from his normal southern drawl.

"So my source tells me you want to be cured, why is this?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't want to be the monster I have become. I never asked for this; I saw my sister being killed by these monsters and I wished for the same fate... instead I became like one of them. I am not one for this life. I have tried to kill myself. I have tried to go without food but the longer I resist, the hungrier I become and it is torture. Please, if there is any way to end this curse; I beg you, help me!"

There was a prolonged silence, I wish I could see what was going on inside.

"And if I could cure you... what will you do with your life, once you are cured?"

There was a sinister edge to the question and the way it was asked, I just hoped that Jasper could remain calm.

"In truth, Sir? Once I was cured I would end it all. That may sound like a waste to you, but I just want to end this torture. I want to join my sister in the afterlife. I have done things as a vampire that I am truly ashamed of and even if I was to be cured I don't belong in this life any more."

Another prolonged silence. When the Doctor next spoke I began to suspect that Jasper was being duplicitous, there was a far too compliant edge to his tone. I was convinced that he was under Jaspers influence.

"Well, when you put it that way, I cannot resist helping."

With that I heard muffling as Jasper stood up and I listened into their footsteps, as I peered over the edge of the rooftop I nodded across to Emmett then watched on as the Doctor led Jasper through the streets.

I followed closely on the rooftops and Emmett tracked on the ground; it was a surprisingly short journey to their destination. A plain looking apartment block that was run down and looked cheap. There was a hive of activity coming in and out of the main entrance so I paused on the rooftop opposite as I watched the Doctor and Jasper disappear inside.

"... This way" the doctor spoke, his voice was faint, the reception wasn't very clear, but it was a link to the inside.

"... The lift doesn't work and we're on the top floor but in your condition I know that stairs will be no problem for you."

I looked down below and caught Emmett stood in the shadows near the entrance, I beckoned for him to join me. I watched as he disappeared and waited, it didn't take long until he had joined me.

I held the phone out in front of me and signalled for Emmett to be quiet, he nodded his head to comply and we listened in.

We heard Jasper laughing on the phone, my eyes knitted together whilst I tried to fathom what could be funny, Emmett looked equally bemused.

"What is so funny?" the Doctor asked, his voice still sounding unusually upbeat and compliant.

"Room 13... Unlucky for some they say but if you can do what you say you can do... Today will be my luckiest day" Jasper quipped.

"Yes. Quite!" the Doctor responded. We heard a door opening and closing as the Doctor and Jasper went inside the room.

That's all we needed to know. After a moment's consideration, we looked over the distance between the roof we were on and the roof of the apartment block we needed to be on. Emmett simply grinned and nodded. We leapt over to the roof and I had to admit it was quite exhilarating.

Reaching Room 13 we paused to listen at the door.

"So this is it then Doc? This is where you work the magic. Why the restraints though?" Jasper asked.

"Your body will resist the process; the restraints are to help you complete it. Now if you are ready, we may begin."

I could hear Jasper moving around inside and the Doctor appeared to be getting impatient as he cleared his voice.

"Well I am certainly ready for something!" Jasper called out, louder than he needed to.

I took that as our queue, twisting the door handle I pushed against it with my shoulder and grinned as it opened with ease. I headed inside with Emmett close behind, and the door slammed shut again.

I looked the doctor squarely in the face and stood, with my arms folded across my chest.

"My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen and you and I need to discuss my son, Edward. I want to know what you did to him, how you did it and how I can stop it."

Jasper walked over to join us and I watched the Doctor as he took in our appearance, his eyes were wild and his face was full of worry. It was clear that whatever emotion Jasper had been pumping into him had gone now.

"You tricked me!" He yelled at Jasper.

"I'd say I am sorry, but I'm not. My brother is dying and we need your help to stop it." Jasper retorted.

The Doctors face contorted with rage.

"Doctor? Son? Brother? What kind of trickery is this? You speak as if you are civilised, your kind are nothing, but monsters." The Doctor snapped.

"Monsters? You call us monsters after what you did to my son? He told you that he was different from the rest of our kind. He explained to you that he wanted to be human for the girl he loved and you took advantage of him!" I roared back, unable to control my growing rage.

The Doctor flinched as I spoke. He backed up away from me, but there was nowhere for him to go.

"The golden eyed boy?" He asked, shakily.

"Yes!"

"You expect me to believe that what he told me was true? Vampires that don't feed from humans... that live life amongst humans? Please! What kind of fool do you take me to be?"

This man was impossible!

"You know nothing about me and my family and yet you stand here and judge us?"

"I know all there is to know about your kind, you are monsters. You take what you want and to hell with the consequences. You speak of losing your son? You don't know the meaning of the word loss. I lost my son when of your kind killed him. From that day on I vowed to destroy as many of you as possible."

Now we were getting somewhere a hint of a reason behind his actions. I pressed him for more information.

"I make no excuses for the rest of our kind. I know what deplorable characters we can be but some of us choose not to live the life that we are dealt with. Given your methods I take it you are a trained Doctor? What is your specialist area?" I asked.

It was clear that my question has thrown him, he hadn't expected this.

"Haematology" he responded.

"I should have guessed that."

"Do you even know that Haematology means?" he accuses.

"I told you. I am Doctor Carlisle Cullen and I was a Doctor long before you were born and I will be one long after you have died. I've studied in almost every branch of medicine you can imagine, including Haematology, so yes. I know what it means."

The doctor slumped down against the wall and I watch as the pitiful excuse of a human, places his knees up to his chest and cradles his head in his hands.

"Impossible..." he mutters.

I ignore him for the time being.

"Keep an eye on him Emmett, I am wasting time. I need to try and work out what he has done to Edward."

I search the place from top to bottom. I see vials of the substance he intended to use against Jasper, but I find no notes. I ignore the doctor as he watches me intently. Using one of his empty needles I extract a small amount of my venom; I pour it into a petri dish and introduce a measured amount of the substance. The reaction is worryingly fast. The substance attacks the venom and takes it over.

After my experiments are over I turn back to the Doctor.

"What have you done?" I demand.

"Found a way to destroy your kind. The fact that it is a long drawn out process is just a bonus!" He mocks.

I finally snapped, I leapt up from my seat and bounded across the room. I leered down at the Doctor and I had never wanted to destroy a human as much as I did right now. It was Emmett that held me back.

"Dad! Please... Remember who you are. Don't throw away your humanity, not for this shrivelling excuse of a human."

As Emmett spoke my mind cleared and I reigned in my rage. I turned my back from the Doctor and moved away.

"I'm sorry!" I said to my sons, but the Doctor misunderstood and thought I was apologising to him.

"How... How did you do that?" He demanded.

"What?"

"You were ready to kill me, but you stopped! How? Why?"

"I am 366 years old. In all that time I have not killed a single human. I have had patients die, that I were unable to save but I have not drank or killed a human in all of my existence and my son was right. You are not the human to break that pattern."

The room fell silent for a long time. I was disgusted with myself for coming so close to losing it. I was in turmoil. This had all been a waste of time. I had succeeded in nothing, but I was missing out on time with my son.

"Emmett, Jasper! We're going. Pack up everything you can and let's go home. There is nothing more we can do; we should be with Edward before it is too late."

I fished in my pocket for my phone whilst Emmett and Jasper began to gather everything that the Doctor had used against Edward and the others. I needed to tell Esme that we had failed and that we were coming home.

As I raised the phone to my ear, the Doctor finally spoke.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Is it true? Is it true that you have lived all this time and never killed a human? Have you always been a Doctor?"

"Yes, it is true. I have been a Doctor for over 350 years now, give or take a couple of breaks in between."

"Look there is no antidote... I never even considered creating one but you can have my notes and I will answer all of your questions and help find a way to slow it down or reverse it."

Emmett and Jasper stopped what they were doing and we all stared at the Doctor, dumbstruck.

"Why?"

"You could have killed me. There was nothing to stop you killing me, yet you stopped yourself. I have never seen anything like that. I assumed all of your kind were the same but I am starting to realise that just like us humans, your kind come in many different types."

I started to feel hope but was afraid to give into it just yet.

"What would you want in return for helping?"

"Tell me more about your life as a Doctor and the life that you and your family live."

"I can do that but we have very little time. We need to get started."

I watched warily as the Doctor stood up. His eyes darted from Jasper and Emmett and he took a few tentative steps towards me. I stared suspiciously down at his arms; he appeared to be holding his hands behind his back. Was this a trap?

As he stood in front of me, he shot his hand out in front of him. I looked down, half expecting to see a concealed needle, instead it was simply his hand held out for me to shake.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Frank Peters, but just call me Frank. I don't much deserve to be called Doctor just now," he said.

I took his hand in mine and we shook it. The mood in the room took an instant shift; suddenly all four of us were working on a common goal.


	16. Chapter 15: Working together

**Chapter 15: Working together**

**3****rd**** September 2009**

**Carlisle P.O.V.**

Emmett and Jasper kept Frank supplied with coffee and food and he talked me through the process he completed to create the substance that was attacking the venom in Edward's body. I was astonished at how intricate his notes were and how much thought he had put into this.

Whilst we worked, Frank quizzed me about the years I had been a Doctor, digging into more and more information. He kept his word and answered every question I asked and offered his own input where he could but it wasn't looking good.

All of his focus was on maximising the destruction; there had been no thought as to reversal. Jasper and Emmett donated several vials of their venom for testing, alongside my own. Even Frank offered some vials of his own blood, to see how it reacted to human blood - the tests were all the same. The compound Frank had created just attacked the venom until it was gone. Introduction of human blood to the mix was strange, both the compound and the venom just simply shied away from it, quite possibly why Edward couldn't drink anything.

As time wore on Frank's energy was starting to dwindle. He tried to stay awake, but eventually exhaustion took over and he succumbed to sleep.

"It's not looking good is it?" Emmett asked.

I wished that I could offer some hope but we'd been working for hours. I had exhausted all of my ideas and Frank - who had suggested things that I hadn't considered - had exhausted his. Nothing had worked, there didn't seem to be any way to stop the compound attacking our venom.

"I'm sorry, Son!"

I watched on as Emmett struggled with his emotions, he wasn't coping very well with this at all. I felt the wave of ease that Jasper sent his way, but it did little to calm Emmett down.

"Go get some fresh air, hunt if you can. I will spend some more time on this but it may be time to pack up and go home. We promised Edward to be there at the end."

I couldn't bear to look either of them in the eyes as they walked passed me, I felt like such a failure. I thought that I could make a difference, but what had I done? Aside from convincing a bitter man like Frank, that some of our kind could be good... I had done nothing, but lose out on the time I could have spent with my son.

With Emmett and Jasper outside and Frank sleeping, I changed tactics. I had failed to reverse the process, but perhaps I could slow it down, unfortunately everything I tried failed. Eventually Frank woke back up and after apologising profusely; he helped me with what I was doing. We tried all sorts, but nothing seemed to slow down the compound.

"This is hopeless."

My mind was set. I was wasting time. There was nothing left but to return to Edward and make his end as easy as possible.

Emmett and Jasper returned just in time to hear me telling Frank that I had given up.

"It's no use, nothing is working..."

"No!" Roared Emmett.

He bounded into the room and straight towards Frank.

"You've killed my brother, how could you?"

As Emmett rounded his hand to attack Frank, a chain of events occurred.

Jasper hit Emmett with as much calm as he could, I got Frank out of the way of Emmett and Emmett knocked over the two remaining vails of venom. The venom crashed down into the sample of compound and I couldn't help but watch how it reacted.

As the venom hit the compound at speed, it receded. Seconds later the compound started to attack it again, but this was the first time that I had seen the venom manage to do anything to the compound.

Jasper now had hold of Emmett and Frank was sobbing in the corner of the room. Eventually Emmett calmed down enough to control himself.

"You should have let him get to me, I deserve it." Frank muttered.

"Emmett, you are a genius!"

The room fell silent, all eyes were on me and I could imagine what they were thinking. They were thinking that I had lost it. They had all given up hope, but now for the first time I had it in abundance.

"Frank, can you help me with an experiment?"

"Of Course."

"Emmett, Jasper... I need some more of your venom, a couple of vials each should be plenty."

I left Emmett and Jasper to get me the required venom and I quickly explained to Frank what I had seen.

"When Emmett spilled the venom and it hit the compound at speed, the compound receded, once the venom had settled, the compound started to attack again. .."

I could almost see the moment that Frank comprehended what I was seeing.

"What are you thinking Carlisle?"

"Our venom is strong enough when it flows faster than the compound. If we can pump the venom through the system, we may be able to drive the compound out."

"Interesting theory but how can we pump venom through at a faster rate than the compound? Surely that's not possible?"

I couldn't help, but grin as the plan formed firmer in my mind.

"Modern medicine already has a machine that we can make use of¬ It may need adapting, but I am pretty sure I can do that."

"Dialysis?" Frank asked.

"Yes, if we can adapt a dialysis machine to feed through venom at a high speed, we can attack the compound. I have no idea how this will affect Edward, it may be incredibly painful for him but right now I will take this as a sign of hope."

Frank ran a hand through his hair as he considered the implications of what I was saying. After a few moments he seemed to have come to terms with whatever he was dwelling on, he simply nodded.

We carried out a number of tests, checking out various quantities and speeds of venom. The results were promising, a relatively small amount of venom at a high speed could recede a reasonable size of compound completely. It seemed that speed was key.

"Emmett, Jasper, get everything packed and make arrangements for our return travel, I think we have a potential cure."

I watched as my sons whizzed around the room getting everything together.

"Frank, I'll need to keep your notes and all of the compound you made... It's too dangerous for you to be able to do this again. There are some of our kind who would hunt you down for what you have done, I hope you understand."

Frank nodded quickly and offered no resistance. I then picked up the phone to call home.

"Esme."

"Carlisle! Please tell me there is news, he is getting worse."

I listened on in horror as she explained that Edward had been harmed by Laurent. I couldn't refrain from the hiss that left my lips as I considered how much that could impede his chances.

"Keep him as comfortable as possible. We're on our way back and we have a potential cure but I need you all to help me with something. I need you and the others to extract vials of your venom, the more the better. Space out the extractions - our venom will replenish as long as you leave a reasonable gap - once you've extracted it, store it in one of the fridges in the medical supplies area. I then need a dialysis machine. The hospital have several but it would be difficult to get one without being spotted, instead I will give you an address of a local supplier. I also need a number of other supplies, I'll message you the list shortly..."

I continued to give Esme instructions and she never once questioned what I asked of her and I knew that they would do all that is in their power to get what I needed.

"... Carlisle, before you go Alice needs to speak to you." Esme murmured.

"Carlisle?" Alice's voice came on the line.

"Alice, I'm here."

"Carlisle, I am seeing promising signs, so whatever you have planned has potential but one of my visions is troubling. Am I right in thinking that you are with the Doctor that did this to Edward now?"

"Yes!"

"You plan to leave him behind?"

"Yes!"

"He'll ask to come with you, you need to listen to him... He has to come with you, he has to come to Forks."

"Why?"

"It's unclear but in everything I see, he is with us."

"Thanks Alice."

"I have to go Carlisle, we have work to do in order to get everything you need. Tell Jasper I'll see him soon."

The line went dead. I looked over to Frank, who was helping Emmett and Jasper to pack his things up. Alice was right I had planned to say goodbye to him and leave without him but if Alice had seen him with us, I had to consider there was a need for that.

We packed up everything we could need and we were ready to go. Frank was hovering near the door, pacing. I watched him.

"You'll wear a hole in the carpet" I warned him.

"Carlisle... I … um... Can I... Errr..."

Frank was flustered, I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You want to come with us?" I asked.

Frank stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me in shock.

"How did you know?"

"My daughter, Alice, she told me on the phone, she has a gift. She could see that you would want to come with us and that you'd be with us in the future... So of course you can come with us."

He looked stunned. He had obviously been gearing up for arguing his case but I had no time to argue with him. If Alice said we needed him with us, that was good enough for me.


	17. Chapter 16: Making it better

**Chapter 16: Making it better**

**4th/5****th**** September 2009**

**Carlisle P.O.V.**

It was a long journey home but thanks to Jasper it was hassle free. He had no patience with the commercial airlines so he had chartered a private plane for us to Seattle. He then acquired a car and drove us to Forks at high speed.

Frank was quite subdued for the most of the journey but when he did speak, he asked me more about my years as a doctor.

As we arrived at the house, I was greeted by a glorious site. Esme; at the door waiting for me. I ignored Frank for a moment and rushed into her arms.

She held me close and neither of us spoke but we didn't need to. I felt Esme loosen her grip and a hiss escape from her throat as the car door clicked behind me.

I turned to see Frank standing and looking at us. He seemed worried.

"Esme, this is Frank."

Esme searched my face; she was confused. She couldn't understand why I wasn't more hostile.

"It's a long story but he's been a great help to us and he's here to help us some more." I continued.

Esme relaxed a little, she was still guarded but she accepted what I was saying.

Alice came bounding out of the house and greeted Jasper and Rosalie was also by Emmett's side instantly. I made introductions to Frank and we entered the house. We found Edward in the living room, with Bella nearby. The dialysis machine I had requested and the rest of the equipment I needed was nearby, Edward was still, I was worried I was too late, but an odd tremor racked through his body and I felt relief.

"Bella," I called out.

"Carlisle," she responded, without turning around.

"We need to get started straight away."

Bella turned towards me, but her eyes never met mine, instead they focussed on Frank.

"You're the one that did this to him?" She growled.

Frank's head hung low and he nodded. I watched cautiously as Bella stood up, she moved towards Frank and I stepped between them.

Bella paused; she studied my face for a moment and rolled her eyes.

"I am not about to attack him, Carlisle... I just wanted to see him up close, he doesn't much look like I imagined." she said defiantly.

The room fell silent and the tension was thick, it was Frank's voice that broke first.

"Miss... I just want to say how sorry I am. I have been a fool and I can understand that you want to hurt me and after this is all over, if you still want to do it, I won't stop you... but right now I am here to help reverse what I did to him. So perhaps we should get on with it."

I watched as Bella's lip quivered, she was battling with her instincts. She stared defiantly at the Doctor and then nodded.

She quickly returned to Edward's side.

Frank and I concentrated on adapting the dialysis machine. Whilst the others prepared Edward; I had Bella remove his shirt and adjust him so his body was supported on the couch. I had no idea whether this would be painful or not but I had to prepare for the worst, if his body thrashed we needed to ensure that the dialysis machine remained attached.

Soon it was time to get started, Edward had just come around and I rushed to his side.

"Carlisle."

I tried not to react at how feeble his voice sounded, I took in his bare chest and it was clear how much he'd wasted away. I had faith in what I was about to do from a medical point of view but I couldn't help worry whether his body would be strong enough to cope with it.

"Edward, we need to start straight away. I have no idea how this will feel for you but I can imagine it may be painful, you just need to do your best not to resist it. We're here with you, every step of the way and we may need to restrain you if you thrash too much, but please know we are doing it for the right reasons."

Edward's eyes searched my face and he held his hand out. I held it in my own and kissed the back of it. He looked around the room and his eyes locked on Franks. I felt him tense up and retreat back a little.

"Hush now... He's here to help, we haven't the time to explain but hopefully there will be time for that later. Trust me."

Edward didn't take his eyes of Frank but he did relax. Bella joined us and she kissed Edward's forehead.

"Be brave!" she murmured.

Frank helped me to fire up the modified dialysis machine, I pierced Edwards skin with the strengthened needle and taped it in place, his skin didn't resist as much as I imagined it would.

As the machine got up to full power I sent Esme for the vials of venom. I was pleasantly surprised with how many there were. Frank and I loaded them into the machine .

I watched Edward closely, at first he didn't react, I could clearly see the venom entering his body but he was oddly still. A part of me started to doubt what we were doing but we continued on our course of action.

We'd put through around half of the available vials, when Edward started to react. His body started to convulse, Bella and Emmett held him down and prevented him from pulling at the needle. He started to scream and wail and complain that it burned but we couldn't stop now.

"Be brave Edward, this needs to happen."

We continued to lead the venom into the machine and I gradually increased the speed, Edward continued to thrash, but his frail body was no match to Emmett and Bella's firms grip.

The room was tense, everyone watched Edward intently. Esme had to leave the room on a couple of occasions and Jasper seemed to be concentrating on keeping everyone as calm as possible.

The noises coming from Edward were distressing but this had to work. Failure was not an option. As we reached the end of the supply of vials, the machine was running at full speed, I had modified it to be faster than it should be, but it had to be fast.

Now it was a waiting game, I watched Edward intently, he was still thrashing and he was still wailing, but there was no sense to what he was saying anymore. I placed a reassuring arm on Bella's to try and calm her down as her eyes were wild with worry.

"He's in so much pain."

"I can't help that, I am sorry."

We watched as the dialysis fed the last of the venom and I could only hope we'd done enough. As I watched Edwards body I focused on his bare chest, I couldn't tell if it was blind hope or not, but his skin looked to be firming up. He looked less and less frail, it was as though he was fattening up, which gave me hope.

We waited, impatiently. Time seemed to slow down but we began to have more hope. Emmett had to get help to restrain Edward as he was becoming stronger, the wailing stopped and the convulsions of his body started to lessen. Then he went still.

Panic filled me as I worried that all of this pain had been for nothing. The room was in an uncomfortable silence but as I moved towards him to check him over, his eyes sprung open. He let out a grasping breath and he sat upright, working clear from the grip of Emmett and Jasper.

He sat panting for a few moments, his eyes closed and his body trembling.

_Oh Edward, please be fine, I couldn't live with myself if I had failed you. Please be okay._

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Edward spoke, clearly with conviction.

The others looked confused, until Edward started to address them.

"Rosalie, Did I ever have a mind to lose? Emmett, you don't always have to be the strong one. Jasper, quit trying to calm me down. Alice, you should never doubt yourself. Esme, I love you too... And Bella, either you are not thinking of anything or I still haven't the faintest clue what you are thinking!"

Suddenly realisation dawned on everyone, his gift had returned.

Edward's eyes opened and the first thing I noticed was how dark they were. He was hungry, ravenously so, how foolish had I been that I hadn't thought of feeding him.

He focused his attention on Frank.

"You're wrong you know."

Frank's head shot up towards Edward.

"Pardon me?"

"... I can understand why you did what you did, I don't condone it but I can understand it."

"Ah your mind reading..." Frank simply said.

"Edward, how do you feel?" I asked.

Edward seemed to consider the question for a while.

"Hungry and uncomfortable." He responded.

He looked down at the needle in his arm.

"Can this be stopped?" he asked.

I nodded over towards Frank who was stood by the machine and watched him as he turned it off. I then watched as Edward, pulled the needle out.

"Better?"

"Much!" Edward responded, as he flexed his hand and rubbed at his arm. I watched on as the needle puncture disappeared, something only our venom could do so quickly.

Edward looked back over to Frank and held at his throat. He then looked at me and his eyes were wild.

"Carlisle, can you take him out of here... I'm struggling, I'm hungry!"

He needn't say anymore, I moved to Frank to take him to a different room but he resisted.

"If he's hungry, let him have me! I don't deserve anything better than that. I won't resist, just make it quick."

I turned to Edward but he was hissing and shaking his head.

"Don't be a fool! Besides haven't you learnt anything? You are not part of our diet, I am not about to break years of abstinence on a fool like you!"

I watched as Frank recoiled from the tone of Edward's voice.

He seemed to be considering how to respond to that but he couldn't find the words so instead he allowed me to remove him from the room. I took him to my study and pointed out some of my medical journals, suggested that he spend some time going through them.

As I returned to the living room I caught Alice with a handful of metal canisters.

"Alice?"

"There's another half a dozen or so in the fridge, I foresaw that they may be needed."

I gathered the canisters and realised I shouldn't have been remotely surprised. Yes I had been a fool and not considered Blood, but it seemed that Alice hadn't.

I almost laughed at the labels. Mountain Lion, Deer, Bear.

We returned to the room to see Edward still sitting, but he had moved.

"He tried to stand up but he wavered on his feet." Bella reported.

"Typical male! Survives a near death experience and thinks he's invincible. Your body may be stronger but you're dry of food, you need to eat." Alice snapped.

Edward grimaced as she mentioned food. Alice ignored him and approached with the canisters.

"Here," she opened then held out one of the canisters.

The scent hit us all; the smell of the blood was alluring but we were all able to resist. Except for Edward; he snatched it from Alice greedily and brought it up to his lips but then he stalled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What if I can't take it? I mean, I feel better; my skin seems stronger but last time I tried to drink I was violently sick..." His voice trailed off.

"Just try it Edward!"

I watched as Edward brought the canister back to his lips, at first he just dipped his tongue in, then he took a sip, and as the blood went down he had no urge to part with it. He gulped the rest down, then his hand snapped up expectantly and Alice was already ready with the next canister.

He gorged himself on 10 canisters of animal blood. We watched him closely as he drank each one faster and faster. When all the blood had gone, he still seemed hungry.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Still thirsty, the burning in my throat is strong, I need more."

"Do you think you could hunt?"

Edward waited for a moment and tried to stand up, he appeared unsteady on his feet. Bella steadied him but as he took a few steps, it became clear that he wouldn't be in any shape to hunt.

"I take that as a no!" Edward complained as he sat back down.

He seemed upset.

"I don't understand, I can feel the venom in my system, I feel so much more stronger than I did before, but I am still weak..."

"Edward you've been weeks without food and a substance attacking you, I think it's understandable."

"What if I never regain my strength?"

His head snaps around towards Alice and he cracks a smile.

"Ok, so I just need to be patient."

"I have some bags of human blood in store that may help you..." I suggested.

I could see the conflict on Edwards face, He hated the idea of human blood, even donated human blood. After an internal battle, he resigned himself to the inevitable.

"Okay," he responded.

I left the room quickly and returned with several bags of human blood. He drained them all but still he seemed weak.

_What if this is more serious than just hunger_ I thought.

Edward's eyes met my own and I shrugged my shoulders, unwilling to theorise further just now. The room fell silent again as the optimism that we all shared, started to lessen.

It was a short while later when Frank re-entered the room. He took one look at Edward and he could sense there was still something wrong, he also admitted to listening in at the door for a while.

"I assume donated blood isn't as potent as live human blood?" he asked.

Edward snarled from his seat, but Frank put his hand up to clam him.

"No, please let me finish... I am sorry about before, I didn't mean to offend you but it seems clear that you are struggling to be satisfied, no matter how much you are drinking. Everything you've been given is still blood but it must be different to taking blood from a living creature... Perhaps that's what is needed to kick start your bodies acceptance again..."

I had to admit I could see the logic in what the Doctor said, but how do we get him to feed from a live creature, when he's lacking the strength. I suppose we could bring an animal to him, but he would not have the strength to keep it still whilst he fed from it.

"Carlisle, we could re-modify the dialysis machine? To take from a living creature and feed at speed to Edward, I am willing to donate some of my blood. Notice I said donate!"

I could see the logic. I could see how it might work but how much could he give without being at risk?

"I suppose it could work..."

We were interrupted by the doorbell and Esme went to answer it. When she returned she was joined with Jacob, Leah, Embry and Angela.

As they entered the room, they took in the site in front of them and Jacob stepped forward, folded his arms across his chest and cleared his voice.

"What's going on?" he demanded

I quickly filled him in, with finding the Doctor, clearing the compound with the dialysis machine and the current problem with feeding It was clear that he struggled with some of the information, but he got the gist of it.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"Frank has offered to donate some of his blood, through a modified dialysis machine. So it would be extracted from him and fed to Edward at speed, to see if it helps kick start his metabolism, for want of a better word."

"Will it work?"

"We don't know. We have to be careful that we don't take too much of Frank's blood and we may need more than he can give."

Jacob turned to Embry and Leah and he cocked his head towards the door, they moved towards it, Embry dragging Angela with him.

"Give us a minute Doc."

We waited in silence, whilst they discussed whatever was on their mind outside. They re-entered, led by Jacob and rejoined us.

Jacob looked Edward up and down and his eyes seemed to focus on Bella, who was holding onto Edward's arm tightly. They shared a quick smile but the smile didn't reach Bella's eyes; she was struggling to keep it together, she was losing the hope that she did have.

"OK Doc, we came by to let you know that we had no further sightings of the vamp with the dreadlocks... But now we're here, you have four more willing donors. As long as you don't take much, we're willing to help."

Edward was a little reluctant to have that needle back in his arm and it took longer to get it in, due to his toughening skin but Bella managed to persuade him and keep him down. I modified the machine and prepared for the transfer.

Frank was up first, followed by Angela, then Jacob, Embry and Leah. Once it was all set up and Frank was in place we began.

I had to keep a very close watch on the donors; the modified machine extracted the blood quickly, so it was important not to do it for too long. I used my senses to detect when their blood was getting too low.

Frank and Angela's blood was passed across and they were now sat in a nearby couch, being tended to by Esme. She had them drinking tea and eating biscuits to increase their energy, next up was Jacob.

The scent of his blood wasn't as appealing but he could withstand longer in the process. Edward was starting to look better; it was during the transfer from Embry that Edward called time on the process.

"I don't think my body can take anymore, I feel like I am full." Edward called out.

I switched the machine off and allowed the last of the blood to transfer across, Edward took time to centre himself and then he looked around the room.

"I need to thank everyone. There are people in this room that I knew I could depend on and there are others that I never imagined could help me, but you all have. I am very touched."

A few of us clapped.

"You're welcome! Angela called out.

"It's the least I could do." Responded Frank.

"Yeah yeah, don't expect us to be best of friends." Jacob shouted out, but his smile betrayed his words.

Edward worked his arm out from Bella's grasp and stood up. He was unsteady for a second but then as he continued to move, his balance improved and he appeared more stable.

"Better?"

"Much!"

The room fell into a hubbub of noise as we all celebrated our success. Edward still had to improve some of his agility but his strength seemed to be returning and the outlook was promising.


	18. Chapter 17: Too early to celebrate

**Chapter 17: Too early to celebrate**

**5th/6****th**** September 2009**

**Carlisle P.O.V.**

The next few hours saw Edward's health improve quickly and dramatically. The room was buzzing, it started to feel like how it used to be.

As Edward and Bella discussed plans for a hunting trip. I walked over to Frank, who was sat in the corner of the room looking a little lost.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Frank looked up but he didn't make eye contact, his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.

"I don't think you'd want my thoughts."

I scanned the room again, taking a moment to savour the happiness that my family were sharing, before taking a seat next to Frank. We sat in an uneasy silence for a few moments but soon enough Frank was ready to talk.

"I just can't help thinking how I have wasted the last few years in my life. I was so bitter and angry after my son's death that I couldn't think of anything other than revenge. I hadn't even allowed myself to think that there could be some of your kind that were good. If we hadn't found a way to stop your son's death I don't think I could have gone on..."

His voice trialled off, he didn't need to finish his sentence I knew what he was saying.

"What would that achieve, Frank? You are a very intelligent man. You found a weapon against our kind, the first I know of its kind and you helped to find an antidote too. Grief can be a powerful thing, I can't say I like any part of what Edward has gone through but in a way you brought him back to us."

We sat again in awkward silence; something was still clearly on Frank's mind.

"Carlisle, my friend, I hope I can call you that now. There is something I think I would like."

"Go on..."

"The things you have done, the medical advances you have seen over the years. The fact that you've used your gift to help so many. I admire that, I would like that for myself. I used my knowledge to exact revenge, when I could have used my knowledge to help others. I would appreciate the chance to put that right, over a long time period..."

Frank was interrupted, as were my thoughts by Alice. She burst into the room and called everyone to attention. The change in the room was instant.

"What did you see, Alice?"

"Laurent went to the Volturi. Told them of our family's alliance with Werewolves and Edward dying after a run in with a Doctor."

"What did they say?"

"Aro doubts him, he still has loyalty to you, Carlisle. Marcus is indifferent and Caius is his usual self, he sees this as a chance to take out our family."

"Are they coming here?"

"A small contingency. Aro feels that this is beneath him and his brothers. He's sending Felix and Demetri, with Laurent. If Laurent is unable to prove his claims, they are to deal with him but if he's able to convince them of anything... Then Felix and Demetri are to detain us and send for the others. He had wanted to send Jane and Alec but it seems they are on another assignment."

"What are our chances?"

"Fair to middling but we have a lot of work to do in order to pull this off. Emmett and Jasper need to get rid of all the medical equipment. Esme, Rosalie and I need to take Frank to La Push and have him hidden. We need to get the Pack to keep away and Bella needs to get Edward up to full speed... Then we need to convince Felix and Demetri that Laurent is lying."

No sooner had Alice finished speaking, the room was buzzing with commotion. As Esme and Alice began to make arrangements to visit the reservation, I could sense, Frank becoming restless.

"This Volturi, I have heard of them before, they're your law makers as it where? What will happen if they find me?"

"If they find you and believe what Laurent has told them, they'll most likely take you back to Volterra to interrogate you and get all of your research out of you. They have means to make you talk. Then they'll likely kill you, I don't think it would be a slow death either. Sorry to be so blunt, Frank, but I think now is no time for being vague."

Frank simply nodded.

"Carlisle, after all I have done... If it would be best for your family, just hand me over, I won't resist."

"Frank, if you are found, we will all be implicated. Our kind are supposed to report this sort of thing straight away, not spend time with the perpetrator and have him help find a cure. We need to ensure that you aren't found."

"This reservation that they will take me to, what did Alice mean about Werewolves?"

I could see the worry on his face.

"They aren't Werewolves as such. The tribe at the reservation are Shape Shifters. It goes back generations, they can change at will. Their natural enemies are our kind, but my family and the Pack have managed to unite in a way. I wouldn't say that we trust each other completely but Bella linked us in a way that I never thought possible. If the Volturi find evidence of them, then they will act, with force. They are no danger to you, Frank."

"I'll do whatever you need of me."

"Thank you Frank, Alice and Esme will take good care of you and you'll be fine at the reservation. If you don't mind I'll get you to take your research notes with you. We can't risk the Volturi finding them here. If we get through this, I promise we'll continue our conversation."

Frank didn't say anything else, he gathered all the notes up and left soon after with Rosalie, Esme and Alice.

Emmett and Jasper were busy clearing all traces of the equipment we'd been using. That just left Edward and Bella.

"Carlisle, is there anything we can do to make this easier?" Bella asked.

"You and Edward need to get out for a bit... Go for a hunt, have a run and spend some time together. I think it would be good if you weren't in the house when the Volturi arrive, it may have more impact if you arrive looking as well as you do now."

Bella nodded and held out her hand for Edward to take it but he was focussing on me.

"Dad, this is all my fault. What if the Volturi believe Laurent, what have I done?"

I put my hand up to stop Edward continuing.

"Son, if you hadn't come back, we could have lost you. We just need to put on a good show. I am sure that it won't be difficult for any of us to prove that there is animosity between Laurent and ourselves, if we stick to a consistent story that he lied to the Volturi and that you've never been anything, but yourself and deny all knowledge of this 'Doctor Death' or Werewolves, then we should be able to discredit Laurent. Eight of us, some of whom have lengthy links with the Volturi versus a nomad. Besides you have your gift back, get into their heads, pick out their doubts, help prompt the rest of us. After what we've been through over the past few days, this should be easy."

I could still sense the torment in Edwards face, but he didn't argue against me. He took Bella by the hand and they headed out for some time together.

All I could do now was to assist Emmett and Jasper in removing all traces of the true events over the past few days. Including the lingering smell of human that still filled the house. Soon enough Frank and his notes were at the reservation. Billy Black had alerted the tribal council of what was happening and Frank was being taken out on a fishing boat, in a bid to make his scent less traceable.

"We had a hard time convincing the Pack to hide. They wanted to come and take care of our visitors but we managed to convince them that our visitors would be just a small number of a much bigger problem if they did." Esme soothed.

"Stupid fools... Every time they made their minds up to the contrary, my visions disappeared and I had no idea what would happen to any of us." Alice grumbled.

"And now?"

"My visions are clearer, I can see us having a future, a few things in my visions don't quite make sense, but we shouldn't have any trouble, we just need to stick to what we have planned."

"Thanks Alice"

Emmett and Rosalie headed out somewhere, Rosalie has no idea where they were going, but Emmett said he had a plan about something. They promised to be back soon.

The rest of us, found things do around our home. Now all we could do was wait. Alice was keeping an eye on things, trying to get the timing down. She had promised to send some sort of signal off to Edward and Bella for when we needed them to return.

_**A/N: Thanks for the alerts/favourites and reviews. Glad you're enjoying the story so far, I really enjoyed writing it. Now that he's no longer at deaths door, we'll be hearing from Edward the next chapter, right until the end.**_


	19. Chapter 18: Dealing with a problem

**Chapter 18: Dealing with a problem**

**7****th**** September 2009**

**Edward P.O.V.**

I still couldn't quite believe how good I felt. The reversal process was awful. I had once thought that the burning of the transformation process was the worst pain I could ever endure but this was like going through that again, only with ice cutting through me at the same time. The two extremes fought against each other. Then the ravenous hunger, which I could never satiate but I am thankful that Carlisle and Frank were able to fix that. I had survived it and I have the chance of a future again with Bella and my family. I just have to hope that we manage to convince the Volturi that everything Laurent has told them is false.

"So, fancy a little game" Bella teased, her mood was very buoyant right now.

"A game?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in curiosity.

"We could hunt the same animal, see who gets it first, or see who can take down more prey in a set time limit."

I had to consider that carefully, the thought of competing against Bella and seeing her as a threat towards my prey made a shiver go down my spine but the thought of seeing who could hunt the fastest and most effective seemed welcoming.

"Okay then, I say we see who can be the fastest. We allow 3 minutes and there's just one more thing..."

Bella stood closer to me, till our noses were almost touching.

"What's that..."

I leant forward and stole a kiss.

"I get a head start as you are distracted."

Before Bella had the chance to react I set off on a sprint, it was exhilarating. I had missed the speed, far more than I had realised and it wasn't long before my senses kicked in and I caught the scent of a mountain lion, crouching, I prepared to pounce. Just then a loud noise off to my right scared my prey away, I turned to see Bella's beaming face. She held a branch in her hands, which she had ripped from a nearby tree.

"Both of us can play at being unfair." she teased, before taking off at a faster sprint.

I watched in awe at how agile she was, it was so much clearer now my vision was restored. It wasn't until she sunk her teeth into the neck of a deer that I realised she had gotten the upper hand. I re-focused on my mission and managed to hunt and feed on a mountain lion, two deer and three rabbits. This was more than I would normally target, but this was a contest. As the three minutes were up, I turned towards Bella, who was looking incredibly smug. She didn't have a drop of blood on her.

"So?" I asked.

"So?" She retorted.

"A mountain lion, two deer and three rabbits" I offered proudly.

"Wow!" she said in a mocking tone.

"I only managed a mountain lion and four deer, but surely I should earn more points for the deers than the rabbits. I mean really, are you that out of touch?"

I rolled my eyes, she was teasing me, I could take teasing. We rushed towards each other and embraced, relishing our renewed closeness.

"Let's go to the meadow!" Bella yelled excitedly.

I didn't need to be asked again and within a few short moments we ran into the clearing. This place seemed far more vibrant and alive since we visited here a few short days ago. How much detail had I missed with my failing body?

Out here with Bella I felt even more alive, to think that I almost threw it all away.

"You know, I'm really disappointed."

Bella turned to look at me. She scrutinised my face, trying to make sense of what I had just said.

"Disappointed?"

"I thought, now that I had my gift back and that you were the same as me, that I'd finally be able to hear your thoughts but you're still as closed off to me as you ever where."

Bella chuckled and pushed me to the ground, she straddled my body and leant forward, till her face hovered just above mine.

"I like the privacy of my mind. All you need to know is that I love you very much and I am ecstatic that we don't have to say goodbye."

Taking her head in my hands, I pull her towards me; our lips collide and our kiss lingers.

"That's all I need to know."

We continued to embrace, enjoying the quietness of the meadow; the only interruption was Bella's phone.

"We have to go back" she murmured.

Without hesitation, we sprinted back towards the house, our hands interlocked as we sped through the forests back towards home.

As soon as we neared the door I could smell the visitors. We hovered outside for a moment listening into the voices inside.

"He told you what?" Carlisle's voice roared

"That Edward was dying and that when he tried to attack Edward and his new mate, Bella, they had protection from Werewolves."

Carlisle's laughter filled the room.

"I mean no offence by this but I take it that Aro paid little trust in these accusations, given that neither he nor his brothers came out here."

"True but Caius was more than willing to come out here... Especially after the mention of Werewolves. You know how much he hates the Children of the Moon."

"True I do but I have only ever heard of these so called creatures. I am just surprised that this liar was given any attention at all. This nomad has caused nothing, but trouble for my family. He is the reason we have grown in number, he's just bitter than we wouldn't accept him as part of our family. He's not to be trusted." Carlisle snapped.

"Don't you dare call me a liar, you are just stalling! I have never asked to be a part of your family, how dare you! I despise you and your family! We're wasting time, deal with them. I told you that Edward was dying, he's probably already dead! They'll have destroyed the body!" snarled Laurent.

"A dying Vampire, now I've heard it all before..." Carlisle retorted.

This was our queue to enter; the timing could not be more perfect. We walked hand in hand into the room, much to the surprise of Laurent.

"I smelt we had guests... Felix, Demetri, it's good to see you both, but what is he doing here?" I snarled.

The room fell silent, but my gift was back to full power.

_Perfect timing, Edward.___Thought Carlisle.

_Impossible! _Laurent's mind screamed.

_He's still as cocky as ever, but he doesn't look like he's on death's door, we've been played. I hate wasting my time, travelled all the way out here and for what, not even an excuse to fight. _Felix thought.

_So disappointing. _Mused Demetri.

_We're not in the clear yet, Edward._ Alice passed onto me.

"So, what is he doing here?" I pressed, folding my arms across my chest.

Laurent stared at me in contempt. He looked me up and down and took a step towards me. Felix, shot his arm out and clamped it on his shoulder to stop him getting any closer to me.

"He's trying to fool you, he's still dying!" Laurent accused.

I did my best to look shocked at the accusation, I scanned all of the faces in the room and then back to Laurent.

"I'm sorry, did you say I was dying?" I questioned.

"You seem oddly calm." Felix accused.

"This is too ridiculous to take seriously." I flung back.

"Why weren't you here when we arrived?" Demetri asked.

"Well for one, I wasn't aware we were due any visitors... Bella and I were overdue a hunt, we also wanted to spend some alone time together."

"Rubbish, he barely had the strength to stand before! No way could he have hunted." Laurent snapped.

I took a step forward and resisted grinning as Laurent recoiled slightly.

"Felix, Demetri... Feel free to get closer, I'm sure the scent of the blood will still linger near me. We hunted mountain lion, deer and rabbit."

_Fools, they have this power and they waste it on animals, they should be feasting on humans! It is their right. _Thought Demetri.

"It may be our right, but we don't feel like we waste our power on animals. It's how we choose to live, I think this is one area we'll have to continue to disagree." I responded to Demetri out loud.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot your gift. Similar to Aro's but you only hear current thoughts and you don't need physical contact."

I smiled warmly at Demetri; unsure whether I should be pleased or not that they know so much about my gifts.

"Perhaps you can explain to me what I'm supposed to be dying of?" I addressed Demetri directly.

"Laurent here came to see Aro and the Council. He told us that you had left the family for a while and when you returned you were dying. He said he'd been spying on you for a while and overheard various conversations about how you'd approached a Doctor who claimed to have a cure for our condition but it was in fact a finally, that you had returned home to die."

I took a great deal of time to consider my response; I could almost feel the tension rising in the room.

"I will freely admit I left my family for a while. You see when Bella and I first met, she was still human. I didn't feel that our life was for her and I couldn't tell her who I was, not with the laws. Whilst away; she was attacked by Laurent and two of his acquaintances, her human father was killed but she was saved and joined our family. I eventually came to my senses and returned home. I saw a great many sites on my travels and I came across a number of strange nomads but I don't recall any Doctor with a 'cure' for our condition. Do I look like I am dying?"

I watched as Demetri and Felix turned to one another, they then both turned to Laurent, who was starting to look bemused.

"Explain yourself." Felix roared.

"They are tricking you, he's dying!" Laurent was still determined to stick to his accusation.

"How can I prove that I am not dying? How am I supposed to look?" I press.

"You were weak and frail... I managed to throw you across the room..."

"You wish!" I mocked.

I swiftly removed my shirt; no traces of my failing body remained, not even the puncture holes from the dialysis machine.

"Do I look weak and frail? I'm happy to go hunting with you, Felix and Demetri, if you like. I'm happy to go for a run to show you that I still can."

I couldn't resist moving around the room at speed, before returning to the spot I stood.

"Edward, put your clothes back on... I don't need to see your naked chest." Felix joked.

_Their suspicions of you are lessening, but we still need to protect the pack._ Alice thought.

"So... We've established I am not dying, what now?"

_Cocky little sod isn't he._ Felix thought.

"Sorry," I muttered and was rewarded by a shake of his head.

"Your health wasn't the only accusation, Laurent made. He claims that you and your family are friends with Werewolves. This, you must understand was of most interest to Caius. He has never gotten over his run in with the Children of the Moon. We're more than satisfied that you are your usual self, Edward but what say you of the suggestion that you are friends with our enemies?"

I flew into a rage. I advanced towards Laurent, but was blocked by Felix.

"That is preposterous! That angers me more than suggesting I am dying after being poisoned by some fabled Doctor. It is well known that truces or alliances with the Children of the Moon are punishable by death. How are we supposed to be allied to Werewolves?" I seethed.

_Acting is out for you, but keep going, Edward. _ Alice encouraged.

"He claims that he tried to attack you and your mate and he was stopped by two werewolves. Not only this but you and Bella spoke to the creatures as though you were friends." Demetri reported back.

I couldn't hold back, I roared with laughter. A quick look over in Bella's direction and she joined in.

"What is so funny?" Felix snapped.

_Keep at it Edward, mention wolves in the garage, trust me. _Alice added.

I was confused by this, but I had no reason to doubt Alice.

"I think I know the night in question, it was only a few days ago. Bella and I were alone in the house and Laurent here, did try to attack but he was no match for us. He must have meant the wolves we had in the garage."

"You mean Emmett's pet project?" Alice interjected.

As if on cue, Emmett and Rosalie joined us all in the room, I was dumbstruck as Emmett had two wolves on a lead in front of him, it took me a moment or two to realise that these were just your average wild wolf.

Demetri and Felix, recoiled away from Emmett.

"So he was correct, you are allied with our enemies! You fraternise with the Children of the Moon." Felix hissed.

The room was hushed, except for the frantic whining and snarling from the wolves, their senses were in overdrive. They knew what we were, they knew how much they were in danger and they were frantic to leave.

Demetri cocked his head to the side and scrutinised the wolves, then he began to laugh.

"These are not Children of the Moon, they are just your standard wolf. They are food to our kind, what is going on here? Why do you have these two on a leash?"

"As I was trying to say, before Emmett joined us... These are a project of Emmett's. You could say he likes to play with his food. The thing is, his favourite animal is grizzly bear and they are out of season. He can find bear but he has a far way to travel and nothing locally offers him a challenge. He's taken to bringing in pets, riling them up and then letting them loose... he thinks it gives him more of a challenge that way."

Emmett just grinned foolishly.

Rosalie stepped toward him then and linked her arms with his.

"I've told him he's foolish, they cause more hastle than they are worth. It was only a few days ago when Jacob and Leah here got loose and ran amuck in the house. You have no idea how much stench they left in the rooms. They aren't house trained."

Demetri and Felix looked towards each other and nodded.

_Hmmm, Jacob and Leah... Those are the names that Laurent gave Aro. This whole journey has been a waste of time._ Thought Demetri.

Laurent began to make his way to the edge of the room, but Felix soon had him in his grasp.

"Going somewhere?" he growled.

"It seems you've wasted our time. My Masters will be most displeased. Do you have anything to say?"

Laurent was starting to panic, his mind was churning with what he should say, but he was floundering.

"They seemed so big before. What about this Doctor, the one I heard them mention. Your Masters said they had heard mentions of him too. Surely that means something." Laurent pleaded.

"Doctor Death?" I murmured.

_Careful, Edward. Frank helped us in the end._ Carlisle pleaded with me in his mind.

I had Demetri's full attention.

"So you do know something?"

"Yes and No. I heard the name Doctor Death on my travels, a few of the nomads I passed made mention of it, but in all honesty I paid little attention. It sounded a little like a fable. A Doctor with a cure for Vampirism, I gave it little attention. The last place the story was being spread was in Brazil."

I could see Alice's new vision in her mind, we were in the clear, but it was too early to celebrate just yet. I held my arm out for Bella and she cuddled close. The room was silent now, aside from the wolves.

"Could you please get those mutts out of here." Felix snapped, still weary.

"Sure, I'll put them in their cages." Emmett replied.

He and Rosalie headed out towards the garage. I had to admit I was curious as to whether there was a cage in there or not.

"Carlisle, please accept our apologies for our intrusion. It's clear that our source was less than reliable. Aro did request that I pass on his full regards and apologies if this turned out to be a false lead." Demetri offered.

Carlisle smiled warmly at Demetri and nodded his head.

"Please pass on my warmest regards to Aro, I hold him in no ill favour for this visit. I can fully understand his need to check out accusations such as this. Please let him know that Your source has caused a great deal of problems for my family and I put my trust in the Volturi, that they will ensure that he is no longer able to do so anymore."

"Oh he'll be no problem to anyone. Felix. Deal with it" Demetri ordered.

I watched on as Felix turned on Laurent and attacked. Within a few short seconds, Laurent, who had jeopardised my new found future with my family was a problem no more.

The room fell into a hushed silence. Esme had Felix helping her clear up the mess he'd made when dealing with Laurent. Whilst Demetri was calling Volterra.

As Demetri ended the call,he bid us all farewell.

"Come now Felix, we are on the hunt of this so called Doctor Death. We're off to Brazil, before we can return home. It seems Aro is more than happy to accept that Laurent was on a foolish mission to turn us onto the Cullen clan but he wants to see if we can find any leads towards this Doctor. "

As they left, the mood in the room lifted. I finally allowed myself to accept that; I was saved, I was back with my family and more importantly I had my Bella. Forever!


	20. Chapter 19: Returning to normality

**Chapter 19: Returning to normality**

**7****th**** September 2009**

**Edward P.O.V.**

After Demetri and Felix left we communicated with the Pack by telephone only, until we were sure that it was safe to do more.

Emmett released the wolves back into the wild. None of us could face feeding from them after they had helped us to avoid a fight. Emmett even considered keeping them as pets but it became clear that they would be constantly stressed in our presence.

Once we were sure that the coast was clear, Carlisle and I travelled to the reservation to meet with Frank. He was in a positive spirit; he'd been well taken care of. He seemed so very relieved to see us.

"Frank here, wouldn't believe us when we told him you were fine. We had to stop him a few times from going to the house." Billy interjected.

"Thanks, Billy!" Carlisle responded.

Billy politely left us alone in his small living room, to talk.

"How are you, Edward?" Frank asked.

"I'm fine. I can't detect any weaknesses anymore, my appetite is back to normal and my strength is restored. My gift is also fully restored. I can detect thoughts again."

_Isn't that unfair, how does anyone keep secrets?_

"They don't. Unless they are Bella, she is the only one immune to my gift... It's quite frustrating."

Carlisle chuckled at the surprised look on Frank's face, as I answered his unasked question.

"Sorry, we forget how strange it can be when he does this, but we're so used to it."

"So, the danger for you is over?" Frank began.

"For the time being, yes. We do however need to be cautious. We sent them on an errand to Brazil, it seems that there are other ways in which they have heard about you. They have nothing concrete, but they are searching." Carlisle explained gently.

"Will they find me?"

"If we're careful... No. If the trail goes cold for long enough, they will get bored of searching." Carlisle began.

"So what do you need me to do?"

"Well, we need to make sure you are hidden. When we are sure the trail has gone cold then I will come find you and we can continue our discussion on whether you still wish to become one of us."

"How long?"

"We don't know but it wouldn't hurt you to live for a while. Remember what is good in the world, rather than focussing on the bad."

_What will I do, How will I cope with waiting._ Frank thought to himself.

"You'll be kept busy. You don't think that we'd just send you out to fend for yourself till the time is right?" I asked.

Carlisle took the envelope from his inside pocket and slid it towards Frank, I watched on as he stared at the envelope, hesitant to reach out to it.

"Don't worry it won't bite." I teased.

Frank chuckled, though his hands shook as he picked up the envelope. Both Carlisle and I watched him as he pulled out the contents, his eyes wide as he took it all in.

"You have a new identity, all the paperwork you need is in here. From now on you'll be Dr Adam Mason. We've arranged a flat for you in London, England. We own the property, but it cannot be traced to us. Your rent is taken care of. You also have a place on a medical course at the Imperial College. The fees are paid for and you'll have full choice of specialist areas. That should keep you busy for a few years. If it takes longer than we first anticipated; go, work, use your talents and remember what it's like to use them for good. I will keep in touch and I promise you Frank... Sorry Adam. We will revisit your request when the time is right. Who knows after you live for a while and remember the good things in life, you may no longer wish to join us."

Frank's thoughts were buzzing; he was overwhelmed and struggling to grasp what had just happened. He needed time to take it in.

"We'll give you a few moments to take it all in. We'll just be outside with Billy... We won't be far." I promised.

"Is he okay?" Carlisle asked, once we'd left the room.

"He's fine, it's just a lot for him to comprehend. He genuinely thought that we'd send him away and let him fend for himself until the trail went cold."

We found Billy on his porch and he had been joined by Jacob and Leah. The last time I had seen them, were when they were offering their blood in order to help save me. It was now my turn to be overwhelmed.

"Everything okay in there?" Billy asked.

"It's fine thank you. We've just given him a lot to think about, a new life in England - away from all of this - safety and a promise of a new future." Carlisle responded.

"That seems very kind of you, in the circumstances." Billy said softly.

_Maybe Bella is right, they are pretty decent if you look past the fact that they are Bloodsuckers. Who'd have thought it, our kind and their's getting along. _Jacob thought.

"Careful, Jacob. You'll have me thinking that you like me, more than you do." I teased.

_Ugh! I forgot you could mind read – get the hell out of my head. _

"Sorry! I can't switch it off, but I'll try to behave. I do want to say Thank you. I feel very humbled towards you, Jacob Black. You were there for Bella when I was a coward and running away. You helped to save her from the same fate as Charlie. You looked out for her and my family, when we had no right to ask or expect it and you helped me, who you owed nothing to. You're very decent, Jacob and I don't mind saying it out loud. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd be alive right now and my reason for living, may not be around either. I owe you, big time."

"Wow, pass me a sick bag... That was a bit sickly sweet wasn't it." Teased Leah.

"I owe you my gratitude too..." I began, but the look on Leah's face had me stopping.

Jacob shifted until we were face to face but not in an intimidating way.

"Edward, when you left Bella, I hated you. I blamed you for being a coward and turning Bella into a shell of her former self but as I found out your reasoning's for leaving her, to try and let her stay human I have to admit to liking you a bit more. When you returned, you looked like shit, there is no way to make that sound any nicer but you were wasting away and I felt for you. A Bloodsucker dying in a fight is one thing but what you were going through was harsh. The fact that the feelings you and Bella shared were still there - if not stronger than before - was clear to see and it's weird... I can't imagine you two apart now. So how about we agree that we'll always have our differences but if we can both overcome them, then I suggest we keep our truce and be friends."

Jacob Black then thrust out his hand towards me, I could detect no mistruth to what he'd said and his thoughts were loud and clear and echoed exactly what he had just said. I took his hand in mine and we shook.

"Eww! That's weird, I will never get used to how cold you guys are."

"I could say the same about you, you're roasting hot." I joked back.

We chatted away on the porch and were soon joined by Frank. His eyes were red and puffy; it looked like he'd been crying.

"Thank you Carlisle, I would love to take you up on your offer. I promise I'll work hard, study hard and more importantly... I will live life to the full. I'll wait until the day you come to visit and we'll discuss what I would like to do, but please, do keep in touch." Frank said, in a strained, emotional voice.

"You have my word." Carlisle promised, patting him on the shoulder.

The next few days saw things shift into normality. Bella and I were inseparable. We took some time out to be alone together and make up for lost time. I started to learn more about what I had missed and Bella found out more about my travels.

When we returned home, Carlisle was there to fill us in. Frank had arrived safely in London and would be starting his studies in a few days. They had set up a line of communication via the hospital that Carlisle worked. Carlisle had financed a research programme that Frank would subscribe to. Through that channel, Carlisle would keep in contact with him and vice versa.

Our truce with the pack remained strong and the relationship between them and our family remained good. We knew that eventually we'd need to move away from Forks but we should be able to manage a few more years before people became too suspicious of our unchanging looks.

Whilst we were away, Bella and I discussed having another wedding. The special blessing ceremony conducted at the reservation, would always be special to us but now we wanted to make it legal and binding. We had considered taking a trip to Las Vegas, but then Alice got involved and soon enough the organisation was out of our control. We decided to let Alice have her fun and our family, our friends from the reservation and a select few humans attended a lavish wedding at our home. This time it was legally binding and Bella and I were now tied together through law.

**_A/N: Almost complete. Just the epilogue to go ;)_**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**20****th**** December 2009**

**Edward P.O.V.**

**Three Months Later...**

Bella and I had enjoyed an extended honeymoon. We had needed some time alone. Leah, Angela and Emily looked after Bella's Deli whilst we were away and they had done a great job. The paying customers just about balanced out the freebies doled out to the Pack, but given all they had done for us, we never complained.

Once we were back I started to help out at the Deli. Bella and the others tended to deal with the customers and I focused on the kitchen. It seemed that I had a talent for cooking, though I don't think I will ever get used to the smells. Some foods can smell so vile, so unappetising.

Life was just about perfect. I was in the middle of preparing a salad that a customer had ordered when my phone rang. Initially I ignored it but it rang again, so I stopped what I was doing to answer it. It was Alice.

"Alice..."

"I just thought you'd like to know that Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley will be arriving soon."

The line went dead. I placed the phone back in my pocket and returned to my work, I couldn't hide the smile that plastered my face.

True to Alice's word, they soon arrived. I peeked out from the kitchen and saw that Angela was dealing with them. Bella seemed to have no interest in being near either of them; I had told her of my run in with Newton when I first returned and she was irritated by it, almost as much as me.

"Bella," I said softly, knowing she'd hear.

As she entered the kitchen, she couldn't hide the scowl on her face.

I pulled her close to me; holding her against my chest, I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight.

"How about we have a little fun?"

Bella's body relaxed into me, she pulled back and rewarded me with a mischievous grin.

"Go and greet them, they've been away at university. Aside from Angela, none of our old high school friends know that we got married and I don't think she'll have told them."

Bella gave me a quick kiss and headed out into the diner, I bided my time.

"Hey Jess, Mike. Great to see you. How's it all going?" Bella chimed.

_Woah! Bella looks hot, I mean, I wouldn't mind a part of that_. Mike's mind churned.

_Ugh!, Look at Mike, he's almost drooling. Sure she's improved her looks but she's not that pretty. Besides, just look at this place. She could have gone to University and made something of herself... Instead she'll be stuck in this dump forever. Even Edward had the sense to leave this place and her. _Jessica thought.

Both of their thoughts grated me but I resisted the urge to respond too soon.

"We're good, Bella!" Mike stuttered, his mind was still wild with thoughts of how hot my wife was.

"Yeah, we're good. We are so enjoying university. It's so great, it's so much better than this place. I can't imagine being stuck in Forks. Don't you ever regret it, Bella? What about you Angela? I thought you'd be busy studying somewhere too." The sarcastic edge to Jessica's voice was bound to infuriate Bella but I just needed her to remain calm for a little longer.

"I've got a long time to consider university... Right now I'm enjoying running my own business and since my dad died, I haven't been in a rush to leave this place. It's where my memories are."

I grinned as I tuned into Jessica's thoughts.

_Oh Crap, Charlie! I bet I sounded like such a bitch just then. I hope Mike didn't notice, I better save face. I didn't mean it to come out like that. _

"Of course, Bella."

_Ugh! That sounded like I didn't mean it. _

"I mean, Of course I understand."

"Shut it Jess, I'm sure Bella knew what you meant. " Mike snapped.

_I so should have held out for, Bella. I'm sure she'll realise I'm the man for her soon enough though. _Mike thought.

"So did you ever catch up with Cullen? Last time I saw him he looked dreadful. You were so lucky to have dumped that waste of space. I wanted to … " Mike's voice trailed off.

I heard laughter. I recognised Bella's voice but I think Angela and Leah had joined in.

"What's so funny?"

"I assume by Cullen, you mean, Edward. I think when you last saw him, he wasn't too well but he's fine now. What was it you wanted to do?"

_Is she back with him? He looked so bad before._

"I err..."

"He was ready to fight, Edward. When he looked like he could barely stand up. Fool!" Jessica snapped.

"Mike Newton! You were going to hurt, Edward? When he was ill? Why, I mean what had he done?" Bella gasped.

_Ah crap, she is still with him. Great. Now I look like an idiot._

"It's just I remember how upset you had been when he left, I thought you deserved better, that's all" Mike said quietly.

I'd had enough waiting, time for some fun.

I pushed open the swinging doors and headed into the diner, my arms laden with plates for table nine. I was wearing a simple white short sleeved t-shirt, white trousers and a white apron.

I flashed a big grin to Bella and faked surprise at seeing Mike and Jessica.

"Be with you in a minute!" I called out, before heading over to table nine.

"Here we are ladies. Four garden salads."

"Ooh! Thank you, you spoil us!" They giggled.

I took a moment or so to chat warmly to the ladies; they'd been bugging Bella for ages to meet the chef and it seemed I didn't disappoint.

I then headed over to join Bella and the others. I stood behind Bella and placed my hands on her shoulders, I leant forward and kissed her cheek and then wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulders.

"Hey guys, what a lovely surprise to see you both. So sorry I wasn't quite with it last time."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Edward... You really weren't at your best but that's okay..." Jessica stammered.

_Ugh! Look at him. Draped all over her._

"Cullen!" Mike snapped.

"So what did I miss?"

"Mike here was telling me he considered taking you on when you last met. Seems he felt he needed to defend my honour after you abandoned me." Bella chuckled.

Mike and Jessica fell silent while Angela and Leah chuckled and moved away. I removed my arms from Bella and moved to sit next to Mike. He moved around the booth towards Jessica so I leant towards him, my arm resting behind his head.

"Is that so, Mike?"

_Has he lost his mind, he wouldn't do anything in here, would he. _Mike worried.

_Wow, he looks so hot like that._ Jessica mused.

"Well it's just... when you left Bella, she was in a bad way and that made me angry... You didn't see how bad she was. "

"Well I am glad you were looking out for Bella but surely you should be more focused on Jessica... I mean you guys are together right?" Edward pressed.

"Of course we are!" Mike said, hastily putting his arm around Jessica.

Jessica's face turned red and she shrugged Mike off.

"Now you put your arm around me? You're usually so distant, Mike. You're a jerk! You've always liked Bella! Bella this, Bella that. Bella sodding Swan, so don't lie. "

Jessica sat with her arms folded across her chest, she was livid. This was working out well.

"C'mon Jess, don't be like that." Mike chirped in.

I felt Bella sit next to me, so I moved a little closer to Mike, who in turn moved a little closer to Jessica.

"Jessica, don't be like that. I don't think Mike has ever seen me as more than a friend and I have certainly never seen him as anything more than a friend. Besides, you guys were too far away and we wanted to do it quickly... We got married a few months ago. So, I am now Bella Cullen."

Bella pushed out her hand to show the ring that adorned her finger; it had once belonged to my mother.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Jessica stammered.

_What the hell! He's obviously all look, no brains, if he married that. Please!_

A low hiss escaped my lips, which I tried in vain to hide with a coughing fit.

_Maybe he's still sick... maybe it was a sympathy wedding. _Jessica hoped.

"Look enough of all this, how about we just forget about the past. Bella, why don't you catch up with Jessica, I'll give Mike a tour of the kitchen."

Bella stood up and allowed me out of the booth, Mike reluctantly followed. I leant down to kiss Bella.

"Play nicely..." she whispered into my ear

"Always."

I placed my arm around Mike's shoulders and ushered him towards the kitchen, once we entered I went through the motions of showing him around. Finishing at the worktop. I took delight in showing him the knives I worked with, explaining how sharp they were - the best in the business.

"So... Do we still have a problem, Mike?" I asked, my hand moving around, with a knife in its grasp.

_What the hell is he doing?_

"No, of course not. The past is the past, like you said, let's just move on."

I slammed the knife down and held my hand out for Mike to shake, as he took it I pulled him closer towards me, his face stopping inches from mine.

"Good, because if at any time you want to 'take me on' I'll be happy to oblige you... Oh, and Mike? You won't stand a chance..."

I quickly let him go and changed my face to a pleasant, smiling one.

"Just kidding." I joked, slapping him on the back.

As we rejoined Bella, she was alone at the table.

"Where's Jess?"

"Sorry Mike... She seemed pretty pissed off with you; she said she'd see you later." Bella explained.

"Ah nuts, I gotta go after her."

Mike started to fumble in his pocket for his money, he was becoming increasingly flustered.

"No worries Mike. It's on the house, my treat." I said calmly.

He flashed me a look of utter contempt and ran from the diner, we could hear him calling Jessica's name.

I joined Bella at the table and we were both grinning.

"What were you doing to him in there?" Bella accused.

"Nothing... I was just showing him the kitchen and the knife collection."

Bella laughed and simply laid her head against my chest.

"What happened with Jessica?" I asked.

"Oh, we had a heart to heart about Mike. I made it clear that I had never been interested in him and that she deserved so much better... She seemed to agree with me and left."

We didn't dwell on it. We spent a few moments at the table then got back to work. It was unlikely we'd see Mike and Jessica again for a while and I refused to expend any more energy on them.

If there is one thing that this whole experience had taught me, it was that life was for living and I had vowed to myself, never to waste another moment of it regretting the past or resisting the future. Whatever life may bring us I would face it head on, with Bella at my side. Nothing is impossible.

**THE END**

**_A/N: Thanks to everyone who read my story, to all those who put it on alert, marked it as favourite and reviewed. I really enjoyed creating this story, the idea all stemmed from a shift of roles and the vision of Bella carrying Edward ;) _**


End file.
